“The Government of Canada is committed to continually enhancing the safety of commercial drivers and all other users of Canadian road and highway systems,” said Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre. “These new regulations will significantly enhance the current regime for truck and bus drivers in Canada, resulting in improved workplace safety and quality of life.”
The new rules will reduce the maximum driving time for commercial drivers by 19 percent, from 16 to 13 hours, in a 24-hour period. They will also increase minimum off-duty time by 25 percent, from eight to 10 hours, providing significantly more opportunity for drivers to rest. The new rules will also reduce daily on-duty time by 12 percent, from 16 to 14 hours.
These new regulations incorporate current scientific research on driver fatigue and reflect an agreement reached between Teamsters Canada and the Canadian Trucking Alliance in 2001. They are the result of public consultations and extensive cooperation between governments and stakeholders, in concert with the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators. The regulations will continue to be enforced by the provinces and territories. The new regulations go into effect January 1, 2007.
The United States issued new commercial driver rules that took effect October 1, 2005 (see “New Hours-of-Service Rules Issued for Commercial Truck Drivers” in the October 2005 issue of Render). While the U.S. and Canadian rules are similar with regards to 14-hour shifts and a 10-hour rest period, U.S. commercial drivers are limited to driving no more than 11 hours in a row.
Canada’s new regulation was posted on the Canada Gazette Web site on November 16, 2005, at http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partII/index-e.html.
December 2005 Render