Welcome to our monthly FAQ blog! Here are the top questions from December.
Question: What Ontario vehicles need a yellow inspection sticker?
The legal requirement to apply a yellow inspection sticker to the dashboard of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV), and have a certificate is described in section 85 of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act. It is also in section 8(1) of Regulation 611 – Safety Inspections.
Vehicles that require an annual safety inspection (valid for 12 months) classified as a vehicle to which section 85 of the above Act applies, including:
- Most trucks, trailers, and converter dollies, alone or in combination, with a total gross weight, registered gross weight, or manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating of more than 4,500 kg.
- Tow trucks — regardless of weight.
- Concrete pumps and mobile cranes (not including off-road mobile cranes).
Gross vehicle weight – Terms explained
- Total gross weight means the weight transmitted to the highway by the truck and/or trailer, including the driver, passenger, fuel, equipment, tools, or other cargo carried by the truck and/or trailer.
- Registered gross weight (RGW) means the maximum allowable weight based on the fees paid for the truck license plates indicated in kilograms on the right (plate) portion of a truck’s ownership next to “REG. GROSS WT.” Trailers and converter dollies do not have an RGW.
- The manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) means the maximum weight a truck or trailer is safely capable of weighing as declared by the manufacturer. This is indicated on the vehicle’s vehicle identification number (VIN) plate or safety certification label.
What vehicles are exempt from safety inspections?
These vehicles do not need an annual or semi-annual safety inspection:
- Buses with the manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight ratings of 4,500 kg or less when used for personal use
- Pick-up trucks and trailers drawn by pick-up trucks that meet all of these conditions:
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- The vehicle is used for personal purposes.
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- The vehicles do not carry commercial tools, equipment, or cargo.
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- The pick-up truck has a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 6,500 kg or less. It must be fitted with either the original, unmodified manufacturer-installed box or an unmodified, identical replacement box.
- The pick-up truck has a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 6,500 kg or less. It must be fitted with either the original, unmodified manufacturer-installed box or an unmodified, identical replacement box.
Since the definition of a commercial vehicle in Ontario continues to evolve, to make sure it’s in compliance with the HTA, please contact the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO). Or, call the MTO at 1-800-268-4686 to verify if your vehicle requires an inspection sticker and if you must have a certificate available to show to enforcement.
Question: Who is required to complete daily electronic logs?
As a general guide, if you are required to complete a daily log under O. Reg. 555/06: HOURS OF SERVICE in Ontario, you must use a certified ELD as of June 12, 2022.
To support motor carriers in complying with requirements, Ontario provided an education and awareness period (without penalties) until January 1, 2023, for commercial truck operators.
Ask yourself, have your drivers required to complete a daily log in Ontario?
According to section 3. (1), a driver and operator are exempt from this Regulation while the driver is driving a commercial motor vehicle. Next, let’s define a “commercial motor vehicle” under the Highway Traffic Act, as this is crucial to answering this question.
A “commercial motor vehicle” in Ontario does not include a commercial motor vehicle, other than a bus, having:
Gross vehicle weight (meaning the total weight in kilograms or combination of vehicles, and load), as defined in subsection 114 (1)
or
A manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating, or gross vehicle weight, determines the permit fee under subsection 121 (1) of 4,500 kilograms or less.
Next, let’s look at the type and the circumstances described where a commercial motor vehicle is exempt from having a driver complete an hour of service daily log based on Regulation 555/06:
1. A two or three-axle commercial motor vehicle, or combination of a two-axle commercial motor vehicle and a one-axle trailer, being used:
- To transport the primary products from farm, forest, sea, or lake – providing the driver or the operator is the owner and producer or harvester of the products.
- To return after transporting the primary products of a farm, forest, sea or lake if the vehicle is empty or is transporting supplies and equipment used to produce primary products of a farm, forest, sea or lake.
- A vehicle being used by an inspector.
- A cardiac arrest emergency vehicle operated by or on behalf of a hospital.
- A first responder vehicle responding to an emergency or pending emergency involving significant danger to life, property, or the environment. That includes events caused by forces of nature, accidents, intentional acts, or otherwise.
4.1 A vehicle operated by or on behalf of a municipality, road authority, or public utility while responding to a situation or impending situation that constitutes an imminent danger, though not one of the significant proportions, to life, property, or the environment, whether caused by forces of nature, an accident, an intentional act or otherwise.
- A bus operated by or on behalf of a municipality as part of the municipality’s public transit service, either within the municipality or within 25 kilometers of the municipality’s boundary.
- A large crane under the control of a large crane operator.
- A vehicle used in support of a large operating crane while under the control of a crane operator and/or carries parts for the large crane.
Do any vehicle types and circumstances described above apply to your operations?
You are exempt from ELD requirements in Ontario if you are:
- Driving within 160 km of where you began your day, and you return at the end of the day to the location where you started.
- Driving a school bus.
- Driving a rented commercial motor vehicle if the rental agreement is 30 days or less and your contract was not extended or renewed.
- Driving a commercial motor vehicle with a model year before 2000.
- An employee or operator of a commercial motor vehicle dealership or manufacturer, and you are driving a vehicle that is for sale or lease. The vehicle must not be carrying a load or towing another vehicle unless the vehicle being towed is empty and has at least one set of wheels on the surface of the roadway,
- Otherwise exempt from Hours of Service requirements defined in Ontario Regulation 555/06 as described above.
Conclusion
The BigRoad ELD solution is part of Fleet Complete’s connected operations platform, which includes fleet telematics, mobile workforce technology, video-based safety solutions, fleet and asset tracking, and more. You can count on Fleet Complete as a trusted and respected business partner to continuously release new features for our solutions to further improve your operations.
Fleet Complete’s experts provide tailored implementation and consulting services to help set you up for a smooth transition and ensure continued success on the road ahead. Please visit our Canadian ELD Mandate page for more information on our ELD certification in Canada.