Ontario to resume enforcement of air-brake adjustment regulation

TORONTO (July 30, 1999) – Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation will begin to enforce regulations that allow drivers to adjust manual slack adjusters starting Sept. 8, according to an Ontario Trucking Association report.

Regulation 269/96 of Ontario’s Trades and Qualification and Apprenticeship Act allows drivers to make such adjustments provided they are certified to do so or are a licensed mechanic.

The report, which appears in the OTA’s July 30 newsletter, said MTO was asked by other jurisdictions not to enforce the regulation until similar air brake training and certification programs were in place in other provinces.

That requirement has apparently been satisfied. MTO will recognize licences with air-brake endorsements from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Newfoundland, PEI, Nova Scotia, Yukon, and Northwest Territories. Drivers from Quebec will require an air-brake certification issued by Ontario; drivers from New Brunswick will require a separate certificate issued by New Brunswick.

A U.S. Commercial Driver’s Licence will not be accepted without verifiable evidence that the driver has been trained as a brake inspector in accordance with U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations 396.25.

The requirement for an adjustment certificate or endorsement applies at all times. A driver may only adjust the brakes on his own vehicle, and no driver is allowed to adjust automatic slack adjusters.

Charges will be laid for non-compliance; the maximum fine is $2000 and a court appearance is mandatory.

The Sept. 8 enforcement start-up coincides with Operation Air Brake, a 24-hour, Canada-wide brake enforcement blitz.