Carriers who have indicated to the Ministry of Transportation (MTO), as part of their CVOR registration, that they travel to the United States will soon be receiving notice from MTO that drivers who operate commercial vehicles into the United States with a G class driver’s licence will require proof of medical fitness by no later than April 1, 2016. It is important to note this will only impact G-class licence holders operating vehicles defined by the US as commercial vehicles into the US that meet the description below. MTO will be communicating directly with carriers to raise awareness on this issue to avoid potential confusion for all G-class licence holders. Carriers can disregard the notice from MTO if they have no such drivers in their operations.
In Ontario, a G-class licence allows the operations of any car, van or small truck or combination of vehicle and towed vehicle up to 11,000 kg, provided the towed vehicle is not over 4,600 kg. However, US law requires the driver of a commercial vehicle that has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating or Gross Combination Weight Rating, or Gross Vehicle Weight or Gross Combination Weight of 4,536 kg (10,001 pounds) or more, whichever is greater, to have completed a medical examination indicating they are physically qualified to safely operate a commercial vehicle. Based on differences in the weight of vehicles allowed to operate with a G-class licence and the US weight threshold, there may be some G-class drivers operating vehicles defined by the US as commercial vehicles into the United States who will be required to come into compliance with US law.
This issue is being addressed by MTO at the request of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to bring Ontario drivers with a G-class licence into compliance with US law. All other Canadian provincial and territorial jurisdictions are also following suite. A transition period until April 1, 2016 is being provided to allow sufficient time for MTO and other provinces to address the necessary medical reporting processes in their respective jurisdictions and to communicate the issue to their respective industries in an effective manner.
For the past year, OTA and the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) have been participating in the process closely with FMCSA, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) to ensure a smooth, fair and appropriately communicated transition takes place.
All of the options for compliance will be spelled out in MTO’s forthcoming communications and will provide a host of compliance options to accommodate the needs of affected G-class licence holders. These include:
1. A new process developed by the Ministry of Transportation whereby G-class drivers can submit and receive proof of medical fitness.
2. Seek the services of a certified medical examiner in the U.S. and be issued a medical certificate or;
3. Upgrade existing G-class licence to a licence class whereby a medical report is required;
All parties in the process recognize the need to minimize the impact to drivers on this issue, which is why MTO chose to develop a new medical reporting option for G-class drivers, as it does not require travel to the US or investment in training for a class A or D licence, however those options will still remain if desired by affected drivers. Please note the exact details and logistics of how G class drivers can submit proof of medical will be outlined in full in the notice from MTO.
OTA members with questions, can contact operations&safety@184.107.41.74 for more information.