In an overwhelming display of support, Canadian trucking companies attending the annual general meeting of the Ontario Trucking Association adopted a policy calling upon the provincial government to require all trucks that operate into, out of and within Ontario to use speed limiters, sometimes referred to as governors, and to set the highest speed a truck could go to no more than 105 kph (65 mph).
The association says that there are good environmental, safety and economic reasons for making the activation of speed limiters mandatory. The OTA proposal already has won support from groups like Pollution Probe, CAA Ontario, the Canada Safety Council, Traffic Injury Research Foundation, Smartrisk, RoadWatch, Markel Insurance Company of Canada, Old Republic Insurance Company of Canada, and the Transportation Health & Safety Association of Ontario.
At a press conference in Toronto Wednesday, Nov. 16, OTA President David Bradley said the OTA plan “demonstrates the industry’s commitment to ensure all trucks on the highways operate at a safe speed and that incidents of tailgating and improper lane changes are reduced.” In addition, he characterized the proposal “as perhaps the single most significant measure any industry has put on the table to conserve fuel and help the country meet its commitments under the Kyoto Accord.”
In developing its policy, OTA consulted with a wide range of stakeholders, including truck drivers, owner-operators, carriers, truck and engine manufacturers, insurance companies, enforcement and road safety agencies, government and the motoring public.
OTA chairman Scott Smith, president of JD Smith & Sons of Toronto, oversaw a committee of 13 trucking company CEOs and senior executives charged with the responsibility of developing the OTA plan.
“While OTA’s commitment to safety is well-entrenched and great strides are being made to reduce the impact of trucks on the environment, making the activation of speed limiters mandatory will help us build an ever better trucking industry in Ontario,” Smith said.
