OTA facilitated two events this week to help members and the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) ensure a smooth transition from the current motor vehicle inspection station program to the new DriveOn program.
Team OTA member Trailcon Leasing hosted an interactive meeting yesterday between MTO, the third-party consultant managing the DriveOn program and OTA members to discuss the issues of DriveOn’s program and the parameters regarding mobile inspections.
OTA’ senior VP, Geoff Wood applauded MTO for its efforts go live with this inspection option by August 1. OTA has requested that further details be provided to industry around how new stations/locations, technicians, third-party service providers and leasing companies who conduct trailer inspections can be on-boarded for the mobile option in the coming weeks.
OTA also hosted the first meeting of its Ad-Hoc DriveON committee with its membership to address outstanding matters and questions about the DriveOn transition.
Below are some highlights of issues brought up during the session:
- Timelines for processing the financial transactions for equipment purchases (4 business days) is exceeding the information contained in messaging from the DriveON portal.
- ETA associated with equipment delivery is necessary information for stations to have as part of the ordering process.
- If equipment has yet to arrive, how does MTO expect industry to be ready/train their technicans for August 1 deadline? The industry needs clarity around what the August 1 deadline entails.
- Some stations are reporting that they have been locked out of the portal during the equipment ordering process with no rationale and ability to log back in.
- Stations, with multiple locations and multiple applications, are reporting information is not being saved in the DriveON portal, causing information to have to be re-entered and corrected each time a login takes place.
- Confusion on insurance requirements for parties to be named on the policy as well as the total value of coverage required.
- The necessity for multiple tablets to be connect to one printer to ensure shop and technician workflow / productivity can be maximized.
- Ability to pause, save and continue inspections with same or different technician.
- Future DriveON connectivity with fleet IT systems.
OTA has communicated these matters to the Ministry of Transportation and will be providing follow up to members once responses are received.
“DriveOn is a significant departure from the past. It is a key program that will improve highway safety by bringing more transparency and accountability to annual vehicle safety inspections, as well as improving air quality by assisting in the enforcement of heavy-duty diesel emissions requirements,” said Wood.
The next meeting (virtual) of the Ad-Hoc OTA DriveOn committee is Tuesday July 16 . OTA members not already involved who would like to participate going forward can register by clicking here.