The high demand for road tests in B.C. has resulted in people travelling to Salmon Arm from as far as Prince Rupert to earn their driverB次元官网网址檚 licence.

Paul Keam of PaulB次元官网网址檚 Professional Driver Training Services in the Shuswap, said heB次元官网网址檚 had parents calling from Surrey, Prince Rupert, Fort Nelson and Cranbrook, wanting to book driving time with him for a son or daughter who was able to take advantage of a road test cancellation in Salmon Arm.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e hoping thereB次元官网网址檚 an instructor car availableB次元官网网址� theyB次元官网网址檙e coming down to do the road test, having never driven in Salmon Arm before. If they pass, itB次元官网网址檚 a big bonus. If they donB次元官网网址檛, theyB次元官网网址檝e wasted a lot of time and money.B次元官网网址�

Keam said with COVID-19 and related safety restrictions, last summer there was a backlog of . While ICBC has been endeavouring to bring that number down, demand for road tests remains high due, in part, to last yearB次元官网网址檚 temporary suspension of testing. On top of that, ICBC normally experiences an increased demand each summer for road tests. This year, however, ICBC said thereB次元官网网址檚 been a surge in the number of people wanting to obtain their driverB次元官网网址檚 licence compared to previous years.

Keam said all of this is having consequences on young people in need of their driverB次元官网网址檚 licence for work.

B次元官网网址淭hey have a full-time job coming up and they need their licence for it,B次元官网网址� said Keam. B次元官网网址淚f they donB次元官网网址檛 pass the road test, theyB次元官网网址檙e looking at four or five months to get back in again.B次元官网网址�

ItB次元官网网址檚 a situation Caleb Siemens understands all too well. The Salmon Arm resident said he had to quit his job and will be moving to Armstrong for work due, in part, to his inability to book his road test in town.

B次元官网网址淢y mom sold her house, sheB次元官网网址檚 moving in with my grandmother, thereB次元官网网址檚 no room there for me to live so IB次元官网网址檓 moving in with my girlfriend,B次元官网网址� said Siemens. B次元官网网址淚f I had a licence, IB次元官网网址檓 sure I could find a place locally and drive myself to work, but thatB次元官网网址檚 not the case.B次元官网网址�

Keam noted those cancellation bookings from out of town were done at midnight when ICBC posts them for every driver testing place in the province.

B次元官网网址淪o if a student has all their information and is ready to hit enter when it comes up, they may not get the road test where they want, but there may be one closer and within a couple of days.B次元官网网址�

Siemens said he does this nightly. So far, the earliest heB次元官网网址檚 been able to book his road test is Nov. 26 B次元官网网址� in Kelowna.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 the only real solution I see, is to hire more examiners to do the test,B次元官网网址� said Siemens.

ICBC said it has done just that, having hired 80 additional driver examiners across the province, with many driver examiners working overtime in impacted areas as needed.

B次元官网网址淔or the Southern Interior, weB次元官网网址檝e recently increased the number of driver examiners in Cranbrook, Vernon and Kamloops, which will help increase appointment availability in these areas,B次元官网网址� said ICBC, adding they are actively recruiting.

As a result, ICBC said this year, 42 per cent of customers taking a class 5 and 7 road test in the Southern Interior have waited less than 60 days for their appointment.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e also completed 36 per cent more class 5 and 7 road tests so far this year compared to 2019 across the province,B次元官网网址� stated ICBC in an email to the Observer.

To help things go more smoothly, ICBC encourages those awaiting a road test to arrive at their appointment fully prepared.

B次元官网网址淣early half of our customers taking their road test fail on their first attempt, which puts further pressure on our appointment availability as customers are taking multiple attempts,B次元官网网址� said ICBC, adding resources are available on ICBCB次元官网网址檚 website to help.

B次元官网网址淎 class 7 learnerB次元官网网址檚 licence is valid for two years and a motorcycle learnerB次元官网网址檚 licence is valid for one year so we encourage customers to book their road test in advance.

B次元官网网址淚f there isnB次元官网网址檛 availability, please visit our online booking site frequently as on average, 100 appointments are made available daily due to cancellations and resourcing availability. Most of these appointments are within the upcoming 10 days.B次元官网网址�

Keam said the onus is on himself and his fellow instructors to make sure new drivers are at a place where they can pass their road tests on the first go.