Not All MELT Schools Are the Same

Every Class 1 MELT program in British Columbia teaches the same 140 hours to the same ICBC standard. That is the theory. In practice, ICBC has removed 43 schools from the MELT program since 2022, and suspended, cancelled or refused the operating licence of six more.

Those are not estimates. ICBC publishes both lists, and anyone can read them in about two minutes. If you are about to hand over $10,000 or more, they are worth reading first.

For context: how many MELT schools there are

When Class 1 MELT became mandatory in October 2021, the Province announced that “there are currently 46 schools across the province qualified to offer MELT.”

Today ICBC’s approved list carries 63 schools across 93 approved locations. Schools have joined since 2021, and 43 have left.

Put those together and the arithmetic is worth sitting with. Roughly 100 schools have held Class 1 MELT approval at some point in the past five years. About 43 of them no longer do. That is close to two in five.

To be fair about what that does and does not mean: some of those schools closed, retired or let the agreement lapse by choice. ICBC does not publish the reason in each case. But whatever the mix, this is not a stable industry where every approved school is a safe bet.

Schools removed from the MELT program, by year

Seventeen schools lost MELT in 2025 alone. That is roughly one every three weeks, in a province where the total number of approved schools is modest to begin with.

What being removed actually means

ICBC maintains two separate lists, and they measure different things.

The first covers MELT agreements cancelled or not renewed. A school on this list can no longer deliver Class 1 MELT. It may still be licensed to teach other classes.

The second covers driving school licences suspended, cancelled, or issuance refused. This is the more serious category. Six schools sit on it, including one suspension in March 2026 and one refused issuance in October 2025.

It is worth being fair about this: not every removal means wrongdoing. Schools close. Owners retire. Some decide the MELT program is not worth the equipment and insurance costs and let the agreement lapse. ICBC does not publish the reason in each case.

But some removals clearly are enforcement. In January 2025 two Prince George schools had their MELT programs terminated on the same day. ICBC’s statement at the time said the schools “were not in compliance with all the requirements to maintain their participation in the program.” Students who had already paid were left unable to finish, and one told a local reporter he was still trying to complete his training elsewhere.

Why this matters more than price

If your school loses its MELT agreement halfway through your program, you are not simply inconvenienced. You have:

• Paid a five-figure tuition, often up front or through financing
• Training hours that may not transfer cleanly to another school
• A 12-month window from enrolment to complete MELT, still running
• No Declaration of Completion, so no road test
• Whatever recovery process the closed business offers, which may be none

Against that, a $1,000 difference in tuition is not the risk worth optimising for.

How to check a school in two minutes

Before you pay a deposit anywhere, including here, do these three things:

1. Check the school appears on ICBC’s list of schools approved to deliver MELT.
2. Check the school does not appear on ICBC’s list of driving schools suspended and terminated.
3. Ask the school directly for its driver training school licence number and how long it has held its MELT approval.

A school that hesitates on the third question has told you something.

Questions worth asking before you enrol

• How long have you held your MELT approval, without interruption?
• Is my on-road time one-on-one, or shared with other students in the cab?
• How much of the 50 on-road hours is on manual transmission?
• Is the road-test vehicle included, and is it the truck I will have trained in?
• Do I get mountain and highway driving, or only city routes?

Where Integrity stands

We have been training drivers in British Columbia since 2011 and have never appeared on ICBC’s suspended or terminated list. We are ICBC-approved to deliver Class 1 MELT throughout British Columbia, with training locations in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Kelowna, Kamloops and Prince George.

We are not the cheapest Class 1 program in BC. We run the 140 hours as written, we train on manual transmission, our on-road time is one-on-one, and the road-test vehicle is included. Most students are licensed in 5 to 7 weeks.

Check us against both ICBC lists before you call. That is the point of this page.

See our Class 1 MELT training, or call 604-744-1222 or toll-free 1-877-744-1231.

Common questions

How many schools has ICBC removed from the MELT program?
43 schools have had a MELT agreement cancelled or not renewed since 2022, with 17 of those in 2025. A further six have had their school licence suspended, cancelled or refused.

How many MELT schools were there to begin with?
The Province said there were 46 qualified schools when the program became mandatory in October 2021. Schools have joined and left since, so the current approved list is a different number, but the turnover has been substantial.

Does being on the list mean a school did something wrong?
Not always. Schools also close or choose not to renew. ICBC does not publish the reason for each entry, which is why it is worth asking a school directly.

What happens to students if a school loses MELT mid-program?
It depends on the circumstances and on what the school offers. It happened to students at two Prince George schools in January 2025, and some were left unable to finish. There is no automatic protection, which is the reason to check before enrolling.

Where can I check a school myself?
ICBC publishes both the approved MELT schools list and the suspended and terminated list. Both are free and public.

Is my training transferable if my school closes?
Not automatically. Another school has to be willing to accept and verify your completed hours, and you are still bound by the 12-month completion window from your original enrolment.

Figures in this article were taken from ICBC’s published lists on 18 September 2026. ICBC updates them over time, so check the current lists directly.