A Tory MPP has introduced a private member's bill that seeks to eliminate a mandatory, recurring written test on air brake systems for Ontario truckers in order to reduce "red tape."

Amarjot Sandu, the Progressive Conservative MPP for Brampton West, introduced the private member's bill Monday that would drop a written test on air brake systems that Ontario commercial truck drivers are currently required to take when they renew their licence every five years.

Sandhu said his private member's bill addresses concerns from the province's trucking industry over what many drivers feel is an unnecessary hassle.

"Ontario is the only province where, when you renew your licence you have to re-take that test," he said. "It won't save the government any money. It's just the red tape."

Sandu said there is no empirical evidence that dropping the air brake system test would have any impact on public safety, but the head of one of Ontario's largest trucking schools disagrees.

'This is something very crucial'

The head of one of Ontario's largest truck driving schools explains why he thinks scrapping mandatory written tests on air brakes for truck drivers every five years is a bad idea. 0:53

"I'm not sure this is a good idea," said Gus Rahim, the President of the Ontario Truck Driving School. "The air brake system is something very crucial."

So crucial that, for nearly a half century, Rahim said it's been mandatory for Ontario truck drivers to complete a written test on air brake systems every five years, alongside separate tests on the rules of the road and road sign identification in order to renew their commercial truck drivers' licence.

Without the required test, Rahim said, there is no incentive for drivers to keep up to date.

"Things are always changing," he said. "This forces the drivers to go back and read up on these things and if you take away the written test a lot of them are not going to brush up on this."

"I don't agree with it," he said.

1 in 5 Ontario highway deaths involve large trucks

In terms of deaths on Ontario highways, statistics from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation suggest that large commercial trucks seem to punch above their weight.

In 2016, commercial trucks accounted for only 15 per cent of all vehicles on Ontario highways, but were involved in 20 per cent of all highway fatalities.

The province's strict safety regulations has given Ontario some of the safest highways in North America.

In 2016, "service brakes defective" is listed as the cause of only 228 crashes and resulted in one death, which is less than a fraction of a per cent of the more than 391,554 crashes and 954 deaths reported on all Ontario roads that same year.