July 2009 Volume 29, Issue 7 Delivering daily news to Canada’s trucking industry at www.trucknews.com
Big interest in big trucks Interest in LCV pilot exceeds allowable spaces
tenance Seminars to offer some insight on how trucks will be inspected for compliance. The law has been on the books since January, but full enforcement doesn’t kick
By James Menzies TORONTO, Ont. – Interest in Ontario’s Long Combination Vehicle (LCV) pilot project ran high at this year’s Canadian Fleet Maintenance Seminars (CFMS). And according to Ron Madill, weights and dimensions coordinator for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, there are already more fleets expressing an interest in running LCVs than the pilot will allow. He told CFMS delegates that the province is hoping to issue the first of 100 permits to carriers beginning in July. The permits will be non-transferrable between carriers but they won’t be vehicle-specific. A carrier will be required to keep the original permits in the LCV’s tractor whenever it’s on the road, Madill said. The permit will be accompanied by three supporting documents: a list of LCV-approved routes (mostly 400-series highways); a list of safe havens where LCVs can be safely parked; and approved origin and drop-off locations, which will be specific to the carrier. No detours will be allowed, even in the event of a road closure. If the 401 is shut down due to an accident and vehicles are being re-routed onto secondary roads, LCVs will be required to remain parked on the
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– Photos by James Menzies
CHARGES PENDING: MTO inspector Travis McMunn demonstrates how enforcement officers will check for compliance with Ontario’s speed limiter law. A wireless device (inset) plugs into a slot under the dash to reveal speed limiter settings.
No more Mr. Nice Guy Full enforcement of speed limiter laws to begin July 1 By James Menzies TORONTO, Ont. – Beginning July 1, truckers who don’t have their speed limiter set at 105 km/h while travelling in Ontario can be fined $250 or more. In Quebec,
the same law will carry fines of $350 or more. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation says it’s ready to fully enforce the new law, and was on-hand at this year’s Canadian Fleet Main-
A little truck making a big impact See pg. 30
Inside This Issue... • Highway heaven: Construction truckers in P.E.I. are busier than ever as the province pumps money into roads. Page 11
• Then and now: A look at how the truck stop has evolved over
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the years and some of the challenges truck stop operators are now facing. Page 27
• CFMS Report: We kick off our comprehensive coverage of the Canadian Fleet Maintenance Seminars with a recap of this year’s Shop Talk session. Page 32
• Thou shunt not kill: Shunting trailers is easy compared to solving a murder mystery, Mark Dalton finds.
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