Ontario Driver’s Licenses, Medicals and Vehicle Plates During COVID-19

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Government of Ontario has decided to close all non-essential services. This includes Service Ontario and Drive Test locations.

This will make renewal of driver’s licenses, license plates, etc. next to impossible for commercial vehicle drivers and operators. Medical exams will also be out of the question.

Online Renewals

While there are options to renew online, they seem to be only for G and M class licenses. We’re not sure if you can renew registrations for commercial vehicles on line.

What if My License Expires?

As you can imagine, the skeleton staff are swamped at Service Ontario. So we are all waiting to hear what will happen if your driver’s license, medical or plates expire during this shutdown.

During a similar situation that occurred during the last civil service strike, licenses in good standing that expired during the shutdown were given an extension. We can only assume that something similar will be done during this shutdown.

But you should still attempt to renew using the online methods. And document your attempts.

If you choose to drive in this situation, we are hopeful that enforcement officers will be understanding and will not lay charges for expired licenses. However, they may do so. If you are charged, fighting the charge is important.

We will attempt to update this page when we get any information about how the Ministry intends to handle this.

In the meantime, drive safely and stay healthy.

Bill Nickerson

Bill is the webmaster at Trucks-R-Us.ca. He develops and delivers training in Hours of Service, Pre-trip Inspections and Cargo Securement. He also assists Sylvie in performing safety audits.