Training from Vancouver: the trip to Surrey
Vancouver is one of the longer drives among our Metro Vancouver service areas, because both yards sit south of the Fraser. From downtown, Surrey is about 30 km and 42 minutes with no traffic, by East 1st Avenue, Highway 1, Canada Way, McBride Boulevard and Scott Road. From Commercial Drive the route changes: Knight Street, Highway 91 and Nordel Way, about 31 km and 36 minutes.
Langley is the alternative. It is about 43 km from downtown and 40 km from Commercial Drive, along East 1st Avenue and Highway 1, with the same driving times as Surrey (42 and 36 minutes). Since the times match, you can choose on distance, fuel, or which side of the Fraser Valley your plans take you to afterwards. Drive times here are with no traffic.
Which Vancouver start point are you coming from?
Vancouver covers a lot of ground, so the figures above are only two sample start points. Anyone living on the east side near Knight Street will find Highway 91 quicker. A driver coming from the West Side or downtown can expect closer to the 42-minute figure. Test your own route once at the hour you would travel.
ICBC offices in Vancouver
ICBC lists driver licensing offices at Commercial Drive (2750 Commercial Drive), Royal Centre (221-1055 West Georgia Street) and Point Grey (4126 MacDonald Street). The Vancouver Kingsway Claims Centre at 999 Kingsway is marked road tests only.
ICBC's list also shows a Coquitlam centre for commercial road tests only, at 1575 Hartley Avenue. Call ICBC on 1-800-950-1498 to find out which location handles the test you are booking.
ICBC's locator does not say which tests each office runs, so call ICBC on 1-800-950-1498 to confirm before you go.
Port, work and funding in Vancouver
Vancouver's south shore on Burrard Inlet holds the Centerm and Vanterm container terminals. The Port of Vancouver says its four container terminals handled 3.47 million TEUs in 2024. The port's South Shore Access Project was built to separate truck traffic from rail and to ease trucks on downtown roads. This is local context only and does not mean any of them hires our graduates.
WorkBC centres in Vancouver include Commercial at 312-2555 Commercial Drive, Burrard at 900-1200 Burrard Street and South at 7575 Cambie Street. They decide who qualifies for training support. Our funding page covers what we offer ourselves.
Programs open to Vancouver students
Class 1 MELT, Class 3, the air brake course for Vancouver drivers and individual lessons are taught at the Surrey yard. Class 5 car lessons are not taught at Surrey or Langley. They are coming soon at Duncan/Nanaimo.
Training from Vancouver: your questions answered
How far is Tricon from Vancouver?
From downtown Vancouver the Surrey yard is about 30 km and 42 minutes with no traffic. From Commercial Drive it is about 31 km and 36 minutes. Langley is further in kilometres but similar in time.
Is Surrey or Langley better for someone from Vancouver?
The driving times are about the same, so choose on distance and route. Surrey is 30 km from downtown against 43 km to Langley. Programs and instructors are the same at both.
Where can I take ICBC tests in Vancouver?
ICBC lists driver licensing offices at Commercial Drive, Royal Centre and Point Grey, plus a Kingsway claims centre for road tests only. Confirm the right location for commercial tests with ICBC on 1-800-950-1498.
Does Tricon have a downtown Vancouver location?
No. Our open yards are Surrey and Langley, and Vancouver students travel to one of them. A Duncan/Nanaimo location is coming soon, for car lessons.