Ontario ‘s Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Prabmeet Sarkaria, proposed legislative changes last week which will empower key officials within the Ministry of Transportation to further enhance compliance in the trucking industry.
“The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) and its members applaud Minister Sarkaria for giving the Registrar of Motor Vehicles additional powers to address the ever-changing complexities of noncompliance in the trucking industry,” said OTA Chair Mark Bylsma. “It’s critical officials have the necessary authority in their toolkit to keep our roads safe and our industry strong.”
If passed, the legislative changes will enhance oversight of the commercial trucking sector and make highways safer. They will provide the Registrar of Motor Vehicles with enhanced authority to apply conditions to a Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration (CVOR) certificate to address safety and compliance issues, establish timelines for commercial vehicle operators to appeal a decision on their certificate and enable an administrative penalty framework.
“We are committed long-term to working with MTO and likeminded safety partners to ensure the industry remains safe and protect itself from non-compliance,” said Geoff Wood, Sr. VP, Policy, OTA. “This latest announcement continues the strong support the Ontario government has for our industry and responsible industry members in keeping our supply chains secure and resilient.”
OTA will continue to explore all avenues with MTO, its membership and others to ensure law and order prevail and that we can focus on supporting the province and making our roads the safest in North America. OTA will be embarking on additional regional initiatives throughout 2025 to bring additional attention to road safety issues. Carrier members and their drivers are strongly encouraged to participate and provide feedback once these initiatives go live.