At its annual meeting with the trucking industry held in Montreal, the Task Force on Vehicle Weights and Dimensions Policy highlighted the many efforts achieved and/or underway that tie in with CTAs SMART approach to forthcoming GHG regulations.
“The key to CTA’s strategy from a weights and dimensions standpoint is to keep as many options available to carriers in spec’ing their equipment as possible. Whether this is providing regulatory changes for boat tails, or increasing tractor wheel-base limits to accommodate a myriad of emissions reductions technologies, the pace at which the Task Force, Council of Deputies and Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety is working to make the necessary changes to the National MoU or to support research to validate changes to the MoU is very much appreciated,” said CTA’s Geoff Wood, VP Operations and Safety.
Allowances for APU’s (2011), boat tails (2014), and tractor wheel-base limits (2016) have all been accommodated in the MoU and the provinces are working to finalize regulations. In the year over period 2015-2016, work on moving single tires towards parity with duals is now underway in the remaining provinces and the necessary funding and research needed to set the foundation in the MoU for 6×2 tractors is underway, as is work on smart lift axles for semi-trailers.
With much of the policy work completed or underway the last part of the equation is to determine how to accommodate for increased tractor tare weights because of the new GHG technologies. Whether it be increased battery weights, heavier engines, or the need to accommodate alternative fuel systems, CTA will be working with its membership and the Task Force over the course of 2017 to determine the most suitable approach to ensure vehicle configurations remain efficient.