Adding a Class 6 Learner Permit While on a Class 5 Novice Licence
Jordan is 17 and lives in Saskatoon. He has held a Class 5 Novice 1 licence for five months with no convictions. He wants to ride a used 400 cc motorcycle to his part-time job, a 6 km trip that ends at 10 p.m. His friend Alex is 19, owns a motorcycle, and has held a full Class 6 licence for eight months. Jordan's parents will pay for a certified motorcycle training course, and Jordan plans to write the Class 6 knowledge test next week. He asks SGI whether he can add a Class 6 learner's permit while keeping his Class 5 Novice 1 licence, whether Alex can supervise him, and whether he can give a coworker a ride home after work. Jordan has a helmet, jacket, and insured motorcycle, but no supervising rider is available in his family.
1. Is Jordan eligible to apply for a Class 6 learner's permit? Explain the conditions he must satisfy.
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Jordan meets the basic age threshold because Class 6 learners must be at least 16. He also holds a valid licence and plans to take the knowledge and vision tests, which are prerequisites. The open question is whether SGI will let him add a Class 6 learner's permit while he is still in the Class 5 GDL stream. The reasoning is that adding a class does not cancel existing GDL restrictions, and he must satisfy the Class 6 learner conditions independently. A training course is useful but does not substitute for the permit. Before riding, he should confirm with SGI that the permit has been issued and that both sets of conditions apply. If SGI approves, he still cannot ride alone.
2. Can Alex act as Jordan's required supervising rider? Justify your answer using the supervision rules.
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Alex fails the supervisor test. SGI requires a supervising rider to be at least 18 and to have held a full Class 6 licence for at least one year. Alex is 19, so the age is fine, but eight months is four months short of the one-year requirement. The purpose is to ensure the supervisor has enough post-test experience to coach a learner. Jordan cannot treat Alex as qualified, even if Alex is a safe rider. He needs a supervisor who meets both criteria, and that person must actually accompany him. Without a qualified supervisor, the learner's permit does not authorize solo riding.
3. What restrictions apply when Jordan rides to and from work, and can he carry the coworker home?
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The Class 6 learner stage prohibits carrying passengers, so Jordan cannot give the coworker a ride home. He also faces the zero-alcohol condition and any GDL night or supervision restrictions SGI attaches. His 10 p.m. finish is not automatically disqualifying, but the supervision requirement is the practical barrier: he must be accompanied every ride. If no qualified supervisor is available after work, he cannot ride the motorcycle home legally. He should arrange a qualified supervisor, use another transport option, or wait until he advances. The coworker request is clearly outside the learner rules.