A list of scheduled training sessions is now available. To access it, select Services on the menu. Then select Training and then Schedule.

June 1, 2007 -- HoS and Trip Inspection Training

We now have HoS and Trip Inspection training available. The HoS trainging is based on the Ontario and Federal regulations. The Trip Inspection training is based on the Ontario legislation with some discussion of the National Safety Code as well.

June 1, 2007 -- Trip Inspection Regulations (Ontario)

New legislation becomes active on July 1, 2007 which changes the requirements for Trip Inspections in Ontario. The changes replace Section 107 of the Highway Traffic Act and Regulation 199/07 is enacted to replace the old regulation. The new legislation is tougher and has more detail on what is considered a defect or a major defect.

January 17, 2007 -- Hours of Service Regulations (Ontario)

Information on Hours of Service Regulations

We have created a summary of the new Hours of Service regulations. It is under the Services->HOS Regs of the site menu.

December 20, 2006 -- Hours of Service Regulations (Ontario)

Ontario Regulations

Hours of Service regulations will change as of January 1, 2006. The existing regulation (4/93) is revoked as of that date and 555/06 will take effect. These regulations mirror the Candaian regulations described below.

Grace Period

There will be a grace period during which companies and drivers may comply with either the old or new regulations. This period will last at least 6 months.

More information will be posted here in January once we have had a chance to review the regulations.

January 6, 2006 -- Hours of Service Regulations (Canada)

Canadian Regulations

Changes to the Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations are scheduled to come into effect on January 1, 2007. The new regulations are found in the Canada Gazette Part II. They are listed on November 16, 2005 as SOR/2005-313. The changes affect all aspects of hours of service. Some changes include:

Maximum of 13 hours driving in 24 hour day
Minimum of 10 hours off duty in 24 hour day
Maximum of 16 hours on duty in 24 hour day
Maximum elapsed time of 16 hours since previous 8 hour off duty period
Only 7 and 14 day cycles (which must be selected by operator)
Cycle resets after 36 or 72 hours respectively
Sleeper berth splits must total 10 hours rather than 8
More information is now manditory on log sheets

Hours of Service for Bus Drivers

Unlike the U.S. regulations, drivers of buses will be included in the Canadian regulations.

More Information

The provincial regulations will likely be updated soon. Check back here for more updates. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need training on these new regulations or if you want to be informed of updates.

October 1, 2005 -- Changes to US Hours Of Service Regulations

Effective October 1, 2005, the Hours of Service Regulations for the US have changed. There is a transistional period until December 31, 2005. Information can be found at FMCSA website. The major change relates to splitting of off duty periods in the sleeper berth.

Important Note

Changes to the splitting of sleeper berth time require that one of the periods of sleeper berth be at least 8 continuous hours and that the other be at least 2 hours. This smaller period can include any combination of off duty and sleeper berth time as long as it is continuous.

The calculation of the 14th hour of on duty now includes any sleeper berth time that is less than 8 hours, even if it is part of a valid sleeper split.

May 12, 2005 -- Information Package Available

I have prepared a information package entitled M.T.O. Audit Preparation Information and Court Due Diligence Defence. Operators can use this package to setup their safety and training practices.

March 16, 2005 -- Hours of Service (Ontario, Canada and U.S.)

Ontario Log Book Regulations:

The new Ontario Hours of Service regulations are still not finalized. The proposed federal regulations are available in the Canada Gazette. These regulations will need to be approved and then the provinces will need to legislate mirror regulations.

Hours of Service for Bus Drivers

The bus industry would like to have the existing regulations kept for bus drivers, similar to the way things have been done in the U.S. Summary of Issues and MCC News Backgrounder provide more information.

U.S. Log Book Regulations:

The U.S. revised Hours of Service regulations were implemented on January 4, 2004. These regulations are currently being reviewed after a U.S. Court of Appeals decision on July 16, 2004. For more information see The Revised Hours-Of-Service Regulations. As a note, these regulations only apply to property carriers and drivers and not to passenger carriers and drivers.

Points of interest re: what the new regulations will allow:

Drivers may drive up to 11 hours (instead of 10 hours) but are limited to 14 hours on duty period (instead of 15 hours).
The 14-hours duty period may not be extended with off duty time for meal and fuel stops, etc. Only the use of a sleeper berth can extend the 14-hour on duty period.
Each duty period must begin with at least 10 cumulative hours off duty (instead of 8 hours).
The 60 hours on duty in 7 days or 70 hours on duty in 8 days remains the same, but drivers can restart the 7/8-day period by taking at least 34 consecutive hours off-duty.

More Information

For more information, you can check the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or need any training on the new Hours of Service regulations.