Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2007 – Now more than ever, OOIDA officials are urging truckers to speak up against a proposal that would make speed limiters mandatory on all heavy trucks operating in the Canadian province of Ontario.

Such a proposal could have a domino effect on other Canadian provinces and in the U.S., trucking officials say.

Rod Nofziger, director of government affairs for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, met this week with elected officials and staff from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. They discussed safety and economic implications that mandatory speed limiters would have on the trucking industry.

Nofziger said the government officials informed him that they intend to follow through on promises made by various members of the party in power – the Ontario Liberal Party – to require speed limiters to be set at 105 kilometers per hour, or about 65 mph, on all trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds.

“Ontario is the most influential province in Canada,” Nofziger told Land Line. “If a speed limiter mandate takes place in Ontario, it’s easy to see it spread quickly to other provinces and to the U.S.”

Elected officials in the neighboring province of Quebec have approved a law that includes a mandate for speed limiters, but those officials have said they will not implement the speed-limiter rule until the rest of Canada is onboard.

Nofziger said large motor carriers started the push for a government mandate using arguments about safety, the environment and the public’s perception about big trucks on the highways.

“The corporate trucking companies are feeding that perception while they are trying to force speed limiters on all trucks for reasons which have nothing to do with safety,” Nofziger said, adding that the Ontario Trucking Association of large carriers wants to eliminate competition for loads and drivers.

“If trucking companies from other provinces and the U.S. decide not to operate in Ontario if a mandate takes place, those corporate entities won’t be shedding a tear because it means more business for them.”

Nofziger said the situation is nearing a point of no return in Ontario because the ruling party in a majority government – which the Liberal Party has – typically gets its way in Parliament.

Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley, appointed by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty following a provincial election in October 2007, has made it clear that the government will continue to pursue a mandate for speed limiters.

OOIDA Government Affairs Counsel Laura O’Neill says truckers who oppose the idea need to speak up now.

“It is so important now more than ever in this battle that we’ve waged,” O’Neill told “Land Line Now” this week on XM Satellite Radio.

“Everybody’s story counts. Don’t think your story is irrelevant. Don’t think that you can’t make a difference. ... Call the premier’s office and let them know how this will directly impact you.”

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty can be reached by phone at (416) 325-1941 or in writing at the following address:
            The Honorable Dalton McGuinty
            Premier of Ontario
            Ferguson Block, 12th Floor
            77 Wellesley St. W.
            Toronto, Ontario
            Canada M7A 1N3

Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley can be reached at (416) 327-9200.

– By David Tanner, staff writer
david_tanner@landlinemag.com