The Heavy Vehicle Mechanical Training Centre, a tool developed by the industry, for the industry.
A strategic hub
The Quebec City–Lévis region is at the heart of everything. Major highways, industrial zones, port facilities, construction sites. Every day, thousands of trucks keep our economy moving.
It is here, at 1194 Boulevard Industriel, that the Quebec City–Lévis Joint Committee for Automotive and Heavy Vehicles inaugurated its Heavy Vehicle Mechanical Training Centre last November. A centre designed by the industry, for the industry. Employers and unions united around a shared goal: to train the mechanics the industry needs, now and for decades to come.
“When heavy transport runs smoothly in the greater Quebec City–Lévis region, a large part of Quebec runs better.”
— Bernard Drainville, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy
Heavy vehicle mechanics is no longer what it used to be. With onboard technologies and environmental standards, a mechanic who stops learning is a mechanic who falls behind. The CPMVL addresses this reality head-on.
Field-trained instructors
What sets the CPMVL apart is, first and foremost, the quality of those who teach there. The instructors come directly from the field. They understand the pressure of fleet deadlines and know exactly what a mechanic must master to be efficient and safe. They are all holders of Class A qualification certificates and pass on far more than technical skills: discipline, a strong work culture, and pride in a job well done are also key takeaways.
Emissions control, alignment, air conditioning, multiplexing, electrical systems… training programs are tailored to the demands of heavy vehicles.
For those who cannot afford long absences, the centre also offers customized training and on-site coaching directly in your workshop. Concrete, targeted, and immediate.
For Alain Beaulieu, alignment is not a concept—it is second nature. Years in the field, on real equipment, in real conditions. Today, he passes on that know-how with the precision of someone who knows exactly where things break down on the shop floor.
Emmanuel Rouleau comes from the transportation industry. Passionate about both mechanics and teaching, he develops practical tools designed so learners can see concepts, not just hear them. In heavy mechanics, what you see, you remember. What you touch, you master.
Richard Fortin has years of experience in heavy vehicle mechanics and teaching. His favourite workplace? The shop floor, not the whiteboard. He is there, beside the learner, hands on the machine, until the concept is truly understood.
What unites them is a passion for knowledge transfer and the belief that training must reflect the reality of the industry. At the CPMVL, learners spend most of their time in practical training, on up-to-date equipment, in a centre designed to replicate real workshop conditions. You don’t return to work to learn—you return to apply what you’ve learned.
What the instructors experience in the workshop, the centre’s leadership carries to the industry level. Éric Valois says it plainly: a mechanic is an essential service. A former mechanic himself, the Deputy Director General of CPA Quebec City–Lévis knows what he is talking about. If workshops stop, the entire economy stops. As such, he tirelessly advocates for workforce qualification; because behind every truck on the road is a technician who knows exactly what they are doing.
What it changes in the real world
For companies: fewer breakdowns, fewer accidents, greater efficiency.
For technicians: recognized qualification, better career prospects, and that priceless pride of mastering one’s trade.
The CPMVL supports every step of the journey: customized training, skills upgrading, full apprenticeship pathways through to Class A journeyman certification. One centre, an entire career.
Investing in training is not an expense—it is a lever. For productivity, for safety, for the future.
Pictures credit : CPMVL
