Commercial motor vehicle safety regulation is a shared responsibility among federal and provincial/territorial (FPT) governments.
Transport Canada (TC) establishes the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which includes specific safety requirements for commercial motor vehicles, such as brake systems, stability control, lighting, tires, and wheels.
TC also regulates some aspects of inter-provincial/inter-national trucking operations, such as hours of service to mitigate the risk of fatigue.
Provinces/territories are responsible for enforcing safety regulations on Canada’s roads and highways, driver and vehicle licensing, and rules of the road (e.g. speed limits). They also enforce federal requirements (e.g. hours of service).
To advance a national approach to commercial motor vehicle safety, TC works closely with provinces/territories through the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA – the key FPT body mandated to support the Council of Ministers responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety on these matters). For example, for inter-provincial commercial vehicles:
In June 2017, TC published regulations to mandate electronic stability control to improve driver control and help prevent rollovers in heavy duty commercial vehicles (including motor coaches) (came into force: August 2019);
In July 2018, TC published regulations requiring seatbelts on all new motor coaches to improve bus occupant safety (coming into force: September , 2020);
In February 2019, TC released Guidelines to Limit Distraction from Visual Displays in Vehicles to reduce driver distraction in commercial trucks and buses, and in passenger vehicles; and
In June 2019, TC published a regulation mandating electronic logging devices (ELDs) in commercial heavy trucks and motor coaches to reduce the risk of fatigue-related collisions (coming into force: June 2021).
On January 21, 2019, the Council of Ministers endorsed the CCMTA’s national workplan for commercial motor vehicle safety, which includes initiatives to develop a national approach to minimum entry level training and a technical standard for ELDs. [Redacted]
The new entry-level training standard will help ensure drivers have the necessary knowledge and skills to safely operate commercial vehicles. The standard will be embedded in the National Safety Code, which is the basis for a consistent approach to FPT safety regulations for commercial vehicles.
To date, four jurisdictions have developed mandatory entry-level training programs (i.e. Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba). British Columbia and Northwest Territories are working to establish similar programs.
Ontario was the first jurisdiction in North America to implement entry-level training requirements on July 1, 2017. Modelled on Ontario’s program, Saskatchewan’s program came into effect on March 19, 2019; Alberta’s program on March 1, 2019; and Manitoba’s program on September 1, 2019.
