Deadline looms for filing speed limiter comments

TORONTO — This weekend is the last chance to voice your opinion on the mandatory speed limiter legislation recently passed by Ontario.

The deadline for public to comments on Bill 41 is this Sunday, Aug. 31.

In mid-June, Ontario became the first jurisdiction in North America to mandate the use of speed limiters on commercial trucks at 105 km/h.

While environmental advocates joined the province’s largest trucking group, the Ontario Trucking Association, in pushing for the legislation, the plan has also ruffled a lot of feathers — particularly among drivers, small fleets, and owner-operators.

Public comments can be made by clicking here. The official final draft of Bill 41 can also be viewed at that link.

It’s unclear what effect the public comments could have on the government, which seems determined to rubberstamp the legislation as soon as possible, perhaps even by the fall.

An educational period lasting up to a year is expected to precede full enforcement.

The U.S.-based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) is still holding out hope that the law can be defeated. It promises to file a court challenge, arguing that a speed limiter policy in Ontario violates NAFTA.

In the meantime, the group — along with its Canadian counterpart, the Owner-operators Business Association of Canada — has been meeting with officials from other Canadian provinces in attempt to convince them not to adopt similar legislation.