ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Mechanics covered by HOS, too

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. — Call it an unintended consequence, or bureaucracy running amok, but it seems that anyone who drives a truck — even mechanics on short test drives — are subject to the hours of service recordkeeping requirements.

Trucking carriers apparently would have to keep detailed time records for the day the technician takes the truck around the block, and for the preceding 14 days of the tech’s working life.

You’re a mechanic taking the truck for a
post checkup spin? Get a logbook.

Alf Brown, head carrier enforcement liaison with MTO’s Carrier Enforcement Program Office in St. Catharines, Ont., confirmed to TodaysTrucking.com that if a mechanic drives a commercial vehicle on a highway the operator of the vehicle, would be required to maintain the records required under subsection 18(3) of the regulation.

“The only way the HOS regulation would not apply in the scenario you mention is if the vehicle was being operated under the authority of a service plate,” says Brown. “In that case the vehicle would be excluded from the definition of a commercial motor vehicle in section 16, which in turn means the hours-of-service regulation would not apply to the driver of that vehicle.”

Carriers can apply for a service plate at any MTO issuing office, but must present a letter on company letterhead explaining how the plates will be used. A monthly validation fee of $13.00 applies. Existing vehicle plates must be removed when the service plates are used.