Task force finalizes hours-of-service proposal, submits it for approvals

OTTAWA (July 31, 2002) — A task force of provincial and federal transport regulators has finalized a proposal for a new hours-of-service standard for truck drivers in Canada, kick-starting the arduous process toward regulatory approval.

The group, which met in Ottawa over the past two days, agreed on work-rest standards based on a 14-hour on-duty cycle followed by 10 hours off during a 24-hour period. It also incorporated a proposal by the Canadian Trucking Alliance and the Teamsters Union to cap the number of consecutive driving hours at 13 each day.

Last month, the House of Commons Transport Committee endorsed the group’s proposal and recommended the 13-hour driving cap.

The proposal will now begin moving through the approval process within the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, a co-ordinating body for provincial and federal regulators. The first step is approval by the organization’s compliance and regulatory affairs committee, which commissioned the hours-of-service review, next Wednesday.

The committee is expected to accept the proposal and submit it to a council of provincial transport ministers, which meets in September. If approved by the council, the proposal would replace the current National Safety Code guideline for the number of hours a truck driver should be allowed to work. The standard would then form the basis for changes to provincial regulations.

“The objective is to get every jurisdiction to agree to the standard and then mirror it in their own rules,” said Brian Orrbine, a senior policy advisor with Transport Canada and chair of the group that developed the proposal. The process could take a year or more, he said.

Orrbine acknowledged that the proposal will face opposition from labour groups and the rail lobby every step of the way. “Fortunately, I think people who will be considering this issue are aware of who supports it and who doesn’t and to a great degree why those parties feel that way,” he said.