Erica Winter M.Ed. is the new Office Manager and Director of Education for West Coast Driver Training. She will be handing all the lesson scheduling and course development. (photo: West Coast Driver Training]
West Coast Driver Training is very pleased to welcome Erica Winter as its new Office Manager and Director of Education.
Erica will now be handing all of our office administration and lesson scheduling, thus allowing Mark Anderson, our Chief Instructor, to concentrate on teaching clients.
Erica also has a M. Ed. degree and will be developing our Graduated Licensing Program and our Driving Instructor Training Course for ICBC approval. We hope to have these new courses approved by ICBC later this year.
Erica can be contacted by email at erica@WestCoastDriverTraining.com and/or by phone/text at (250)709-3910 if you would like to book lessons or ask questions.
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Our 2016 Mack Pinnacle has had our corporate decals applied at Mark’s Instant Sign Shop in Duncan.
Our 2016 Mack Pinnacle at Mark’s Instant Sign Shop after having our corporate decals applied, February 2024 [photo: West Coast Driver Training]Our 2016 Mack Pinnacle at Mark’s Instant Sign Shop after having our corporate decals applied, February 2024 [photo: West Coast Driver Training]Our 2016 Mack Pinnacle at Mark’s Instant Sign Shop after having our corporate decals applied, February 2024 [photo: West Coast Driver Training]Our 2016 Mack Pinnacle at Mark’s Instant Sign Shop after having our corporate decals applied, February 2024 [photo: West Coast Driver Training]Mark’s Instant Sign Shop has done the decals on all our vehicles. It is one of our Recommended Businesses and we have no hesitation in recommending Mark’s Instant Sign Shop.
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We have heard that Air Brake Courses in Victoria are fully booked until the end of March 2023 so West Coast Driver Training will be offering an Air Brakes Course in Duncan on:
To sign up or to get more information, call/text West Coast Driver Training at 250-732-8093 or by email at mark@westcoastdrivertraining.com.
On the second day of the course we typically finish by 1 p.m.
Come to the side door of the building. Bring a pen to take notes. A Course Manual will be provided. Bring a lunch if you wish. There will be a one hour lunch break in case you need to drive somewhere to get lunch.
Some clients and past clients have called me today asking whether the election signs they have seen around town saying “Mark Anderson – Candidate For Duncan Council” are referring to me.
The answer to that question is, “Yes.” I am running for Duncan Council in the municipal election to be held on 15 October 2022.
But I will still be doing driving lessons during the election campaign.
Mark Anderson, Chief Instructor at West Coast Driver Training & Education (photo by Lexi Bainas – Cowichan Valley Citizen)
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Over the last several months West Coast Driver Training has experienced a number of incidents of dangerous driving by other drivers around our teaching cars during lessons, several incidents of pedestrians running out into the road in front of our cars during lessons and several Road Rage incidents directed towards our clients during lessons.
We experienced another Road rage incident today from another driver who was apparently upset about one of our Class 7 clients doing the legally required 30 kph through a clearly marked 30 kph school zone in Duncan.
School Zone sign (Advisory) with regulatory sign attached for posted 30 km/h speed limit. Note that this sign contains hours the School Zones is in effect, in this case 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on School Days (photo by WestCoastDriverTraining.com)
As in previous Road Road incidents we contacted the RCMP to report the incident and the first question the RCMP asked us was whether we had dash camera video of the incident. Unfortunately we did not.
West Coast Driver Training uses Garmin 56 dash cameras (photo: West Coast Driver Training)
In light of these incidents and for the protection of our clients, Instructors and vehicles, West Coast Driver Training will have operating outward facing dash cameras installed, front and rear, in our training vehicles during all future driving lessons. These cameras record both video and audio.
Class 5 and Class 7 Road Tests are restarting on 20 July 2020.
Here is a link to the ICBC page on Booking A Road Test. To book driving lessons you can Contact Us by phone/text at 250-732-8093, by email at mark@westcoastdrivertraining.com or through the Dialog Box at the bottom of this page.
To book a Road Test by phone call ICBC at 1-800-950-1498 or 250-978-8300. To book a Road Test online, here is a link to the ICBC page on Booking A Road Test Online
For our clients who have been waiting for this announcement of Road Testing resuming before booking lessons, please call us to book lessons as soon as possible. We anticipate many clients booking lessons now to prepare for their Road Tests.
ServiceBC office, 5785 Duncan Street, where ICBC Road Tests are conducted in Duncan, B.C. (photo by West Coast Driver Training)
Here is the text of the email we just received from ICBC:
Starting July 7, ICBC will be resuming Enhanced Road Assessments, motorcycle and recreational trailer road tests.
Customers can book an appointment from today by calling our Driver Licensing customer contact centre at 1-800-950-1498 or 250-978-8300. Motorcycle road tests can also be booked online on icbc.com. We ask customers for their patience as we anticipate high call volumes.
We’ll be contacting customers whose Enhanced Road Assessments, motorcycle and recreational trailer road tests were cancelled between March 17 and 30 to prioritize their appointment. RoadSafetyBC will be sending customers who qualify for an Enhanced Road Assessment appointment a letter which include those who had their appointment cancelled because of the pandemic.
As previously announced with the resumption of commercial road testing, our driver examiners are required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) for the duration of road tests and have access to a combination of equipment including masks, shields, goggles, gloves and disposable seat covers.
We also provide mandatory medical grade masks for our customers to wear during their road test.
For motorcycle road tests, riders are not required to wear a mask due to the nature of the test but are required to wear the safety vest, which is sanitized after each use.
Conducting motorcycle tests now allows us to reduce the current backlog, which will free up more road test spaces and allows us to secure more PPE as we prepare for the restart of passenger vehicle testing. In addition, conducting motorcycle tests during summer months reduces the likelihood of cancelled tests due to weather.
As a reminder, we ask that customers arrive 15 minutes before their road test appointment and
· ensure they have the required identification
· be prepared for health screening questions
· ensure the interior of their vehicle is clean, and
· maintain physical distance of 2 metres (6 feet) from ICBC representatives when possible.
We will continue with a phased approach of increasing the in-person driver licensing services we provide, while maintaining health and safety a top priority.
Priority testing for essential health care workers and first responders
Starting today, essential health care workers and first responders who require a licence for their job can call our Driver Licensing customer contact centre to book a priority road test appointment. These road tests will begin on July 20.
Rescheduling of cancelled Class 5 and 7 road tests
ICBC Customers — and schools who booked on behalf of their students — that had a Class 5 or 7 road test cancelled between March 17 and March 30 will be contacted to reschedule their appointment. We’ll be calling these customers and schools starting today, and these road tests will begin on July 20.
Following this first grouping, we’ll then be prioritizing the re-booking of customers who had road tests cancelled after March 30. It is expected that these customers will be able to re-book through the month of August.
More details on the timing for new road test bookings will be provided in the following weeks.
We know there is a significant demand for road tests with a backlog of customers whose road tests were cancelled. We’re looking at a number of things, including our resourcing, hours of operation and conducting road testing at other ICBC facilities.
To manage the demand and volume of customers in an office at any given time, ICBC is also looking to move to an appointment system for in-office visits, including driver licence renewals. We are not offering standby appointments at this time. More information will be provided when plans are finalized.
To book driving lessons with West Coast Driver Training, you can Contact Us by phone/text at 250-732-8093, by email at mark@westcoastdrivertraining.com or through the Dialog Box at the bottom of this page.
Our 2020 Toyota Prius Prime is now available for lessons (photo: West Coast Driver Training)Our 2018 Toyota Corolla parked outside the Starbucks / Chapters, Woodgrove Centre, Nanaimo, B.C. (photo: West Coast Driver Training & Education Inc.)
After being shut down since March 2020 to comply with COVID-19 regulations, West Coast Driver Training is re-opening for Driving Lessons as of today.
Please contact us to schedule Driving Lessons. You can phone or text us at 250-732-8093.
We will still be observing COVID-19 precautions as recommended by WorkSafeBC. Instructors will be wearing masks while conduction in car lessons.
Before each lesson, clients will be asked to sign a form saying they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms, have not been in contact in the previous 14 days with anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms or who has tested positve for COVID-19 and have not travelled outside of B.C. in the last 14 days prior to the lesson.
We look forward to seeing our existing clients and new clients.
We just had the following email from ICBC advising that ICBC will resume Commercial Vehicle Road Testing (Class 1,2,3 and 4). For our clients who are waiting for a Commercial Vehicle Road Test, please call ICBC at 1-800-950-1498 or 250-978-8300 ASAP to arrange a Road Test date. My weekday schedule (Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 3:00 p.m. for Commercial Vehicle Road Tests) currently has plenty of openings. Give me call if in doubt about scheduling.
“ICBC resumes commercial vehicle road testing
As our valued stakeholder we wanted to let you know that we’re going to announce that from June 11, customers will be able to book road test appointments for Class 1-4, airbrakes or heavy trailers (endorsement 20) by calling us at 1-800-950-1498 or 250-978-8300. We anticipate some road tests will be conducted by the end of next week.
We’ll be contacting customers whose Class 1-4 road tests were cancelled between March 17 and 30 to prioritize their appointment. We ask customers for their patience as we anticipate high call volumes.
Road testing is going to look different. Our driver examiners will be required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) for the duration of the road tests. They will have access to a combination of equipment including masks, shields, goggles, gloves and disposable seat covers.
We’re also going to provide a mandatory medical grade mask for customers to wear during the road tests. We ask that customers arrive 15 minutes before their road test appointment and
• ensure they have the required identification
• be prepared for health screening questions
• ensure the interior of their vehicle is clean, and
• maintain physical distance of 2 metres (6 feet) from ICBC representatives when possible.
Drivers who do not follow the required guidelines will result in the road test being suspended, as the health and safety of our employees and customers are paramount.
To date, we have secured sufficient PPE for this initial phase. ICBC has a plan in place to expand the availability of road tests to other classes of licences as soon as possible which will be dependent on the roll-out of this initial phase and the ability to secure sufficient PPE for our employees and customers.
We are continuing our thoughtful phased approach to increasing more of our in-person driver licensing services, while maintaining the health and safety of our employees, customers and partners as our top priority.
To help you get ready for the resumption of road test for your customers, we have included some useful links for you to review:
Thank you for your continued patience during these unprecedented times, and for your support as we move toward a new normal. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Please share this information with your staff and encourage them to check for important news and updates on our driver training web site dtcbc.com.”
In compliance with precautionary measures announced under the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declared by the B.C. government on 17 March 2020, West Coast Driver Training has not been offering Driving Lessons or any other training since Tuesday, 17 March 2020.
On 6 May 2020, B.C. Premier John Horgan and Dr. Bonnie Henry announced the Implementation of a 4 Phase Restart Plan for re-opening B.C. business and easing the requirements of the B.C. COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Phase 2 of this Restart Plan goes into effect on 18 May 2020.
Driving Schools are in Phase 3 of the Restart Plan. Under the original Public Health announcements on 6 May 2020, Phase 3 of the B.C. Restart Plan was planned to go into effect 2 to 4 weeks after the start of Phase 2, which went into effect on 19 May 2020.
It is now 2 June 2020 and Phase 3 of the Restart Plan has not been implemented. We have tried to contact the Ministry of Health for information on when Phase 3 will go into effect but we have not been able to get that information.
We contacted ICBC today to see whether ICBC has any information on when Phase 3 of the Restart Plan may be implemented. ICBC told us it has no information about that.
Assuming the Restart Plan remains as originally announced on 6 May 2020 and Phase 3 is started 4 weeks after the start of Phase 2, that means that West Coast Driver Training may be able to start offering Driving Lessons again on Tuesday, 16 June 2020, (4 weeks after the start of Phase 2).
With that in mind we are now taking bookings for Driving Lessons for after 16 June 2020.If the start of Phase 3 of the Restart Plan is delayed until after 16 June 2020, we can reschedule any Driving Lessons booked for the period 16-30 June 2020.
This COVID-19 Public Health Emergency has been a trying time for all of us and we look forward to resuming Driving lessons for our present clients and with new clients as soon as Phase 3 of the present COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Restart Plan is implemented.
Here are Premier John Horgan and Dr. Bonnie Henry on 6 May 2020 announcing the B.C. Restart Plan:
In compliance with precautionary measures announced under the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declared by the B.C. government on 17 March 2020, West Coast Driver Training has not been offering Driving Lessons or any other training since Tuesday, 17 March 2020.
On 6 May 2020, B.C. Premier John Horgan and Dr. Bonnie Henry announced the Implementation of a 4 Phase Restart Plan for re-opening B.C. business and easing the requirements of the B.C. COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Phase 2 of this Restart Plan goes into effect on 18 May 2020.
Driving Schools are in Phase 3 of the Restart Plan. Under present Public Health announcements, Phase 3 of the B.C. Restart Plan will go into effect 2 to 4 weeks after the start of Phase 2, which goes into effect on 19 May 2020.
Assuming the Restart Plan remains unchanged and Phase 3 starts 2 to 4 weeks after the start of Phase 2, that means that West Coast Driver Training will likely be able to start offering Driving Lessons again on either Tuesday 2 June 2020 (2 weeks after the start of Phase 2) or Tuesday, 16 June 2020, (4 weeks after the start of Phase 2).
With that in mind we are now taking bookings for Driving Lessons for after 2 June 2020. If the start of Phase 3 of the Restart Plan is delayed until 16 June 2020, we can reschedule any Driving Lessons booked for the period 2 – 15 June 2020.
This COVID-19 Public Health Emergency has been a trying time for all of us and we look forward to resuming Driving lessons for our present clients and with new clients as soon as Phase 3 of the present COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Restart Plan is implemented.
Here are Premier John Horgan and Dr. Bonnie Henry on 6 May 2020 announcing the B.C. Restart Plan:
Here are links to some news reports about the COVID-19 Public Health requirements and the Restart Plan:
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