Mandatory Speed Limiters is Picking up Support

Since July 2005 when the OTA first started to push this issue, the political supports have been growing. A recent comment from the OPP’s commissioner Julian Fantino shows his support, The Minister of Transportation Donna Canfield also, even Prime Minister Dalton McGivney has fallen under media pressure according to a press release of the Association on its web site. The official opposition in Queen’s Park support to with Laurie Scott and her Private Bill 115 proposed in 2006.

Last year, when the Quebec Government presented the “Plan d’action Québécois 2006-2012 sur les changements climatiques”(Quebec’s plan for Climate Changes 2006-1012), the figures show a reduction of GHG by imposing a government mandate to have all heavy trucks limited to 105Kmh.

I have to say that I don’t have the exact number for the truck count in Quebec but, with the size of the population and the number of carriers, I am leaded to think that the truck fleet is smaller then our neighbour of Ontario. What I am questioning on this issue, unless someone somewhere did a miscalculation, how do we get a greater reduction in Quebec of GHG?

A total of 330kt is what the document forecasts for 2012 while Ontario has a forecast of 140kt. Even if I subtract the 82kt that the PIEVAL Program should cut in GHG, note that Ontario has the “Drive Clean” program since many years, the sum is still over 100kt then our neighbouring province.

Still to this day, nothing is in the plans for light vehicles in Quebec, other then a tax on engines over 4liters, attached to the yearly registration fee, or incentive to get more fuel efficient cars. Nothing to have mandatory yearly C02 inspections on cars like in most jurisdictions in North America, to be able to register it with the government.

When will we have higher fines for speeders? Air pollution tickets for speeders, in general, over the fines for smoking heavy trucks? If I can allow me a comment on speeding, cut the 20Kmh tolerance over the posted speed limit. A tolerance of 5Kmh if enough and a fine scaling to discourage lead foot or repeating offenders. Why is it only to heavy trucks to do the effort? Speeding and fines, this is surely another topic to talk about.

What can we do, professional drivers, to put a stop to the issue or to start up a real debate on mandating speed limiters to regulate the speed of heavy trucks?

A few easy solutions can make a difference. We, Owner-operators and drivers, have to regroup to show our strength. In Canada, there is OBAC and in the USA OOIDA. They are the voices for the professional drivers. The power is in the numbers, the more we will be, the more we will weigh in. Currently, I know that the Canadian Association needs our support more then ever to represent us well at all levels of government.

You must also let you elected officials know about the impacts of these mandates can have on your income, on you business. You can find on the “Useful Links” in the right column, how to access to your MPP or MP, the sites of the Premiers of Canada, Ontario or Quebec.

I invite you to have another look at some previous posting on this blog.

March 2007: “Sharing My Views on Driver Pay and Leases to O-O’s”

January 2007: “Aren’t you tired of dying dummies? It’s enough!”

If some influent members of the trucking industry want to level the playing field by imposing on all to activate the speed limiting chip of the ECM of trucks starting from 1995, like in Europe, it’s all the European plan that has to be setup. This includes the way drivers are paid.

Asking to everyone to operate the same way, by modifying laws, is like asking the governments to step back and regulating the road transportation. This time, it’s not the permitting that is to be regulated, it’s the operations that will be. The deregulation was asked to let the market do its job in the industry, to take away the barriers of territories and the multiplicity of permits.

We need to remember that the economies of Canada and the USA are based on free market. The choice of an entrepreneur to have his truck, or trucks, run in a certain way is and should stay a business decision, not another rule or regulation to comply by. But if my memory is still good, this is why there is a “Highway Safety Code”.

Jean Catudal