Truckers can get their licence without ever sitting in tractor-trailer, says a veteran teacher who fears the roads may get more dangerous before Ontario moves to regulate the truck-driving instruction industry.

The call for tougher regulation in a business that certified instructor Wayne Campbell says is rife with scams comes on the heels of a spate of accidents this summer, including a crash this week that killed a van driver.

"We're tired of it," said Campbell, with Adanac Truck Driver Training, which is certified by the ministry of colleges and universities. "We're pulling our hair out. It's almost to the point we're ashamed to say we're a school because of these licensing mills out there.

"You can hang your shingle out and call yourself a school," Campbell said. He said there's an estimated 200 unlicensed truck driving schools in Ontario.

He said a driver can get an A licence to drive a rig by never sitting in a tractor-trailer and taking an exam with a pickup truck hauling a horse trailer.

Campbell, a 25-year veteran instructor, said he's been campaigning to change the rules for years. He refused to lay blame on politicians, but said, "the wheels of government move slow because as I've said for many years, it's going to get worse, and it's starting to get worse.

"It's not a game anymore."

He said licensing mills will pass students for anywhere between $599 to $899 in cash, but if the student is being funded by the province, the cost rises to the average school cost of about $4,000. "Why two prices?" Campbell asked. "It's fraud, there's scams going on."

He said the government has to regulate the industry and set minimum standards for truck driving schools, including instructor certification.