British Columbia and local safety officials are stepping up commercial vehicle inspections for the rest of the summer. In particular, Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement officers will be looking for critical defects, such as with steering, tires, brakes and rims, that should have been easily detected prior to making the trip and are indicative of poor maintenance. According to the province’s amendments to Continue Reading

Canada’s Ontario province is taking steps to increase the integrity and safety of live animal transport within its borders. Most of the recommendations from the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) Livestock Transporters’ Division’s policy paper pertain to training and inspections for both vehicle and animal safety. The OTA’s livestock transporters’ division members operate close to 600 tractors across Continue Reading

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published its final rule that eliminates the need for Canadian insurance companies to maintain U.S.-issued policies. The FMCSA supported the rule in part because Canada does not impose similar standards on the U.S. The rule, which will take effect on Continue Reading

Nova Scotia is expanding some of its limits on long combination vehicles (LCVs). Province officials recently announced that carriers are now allowed to run three LCV round trips per day, up from the previous limit of one. All Continue Reading

The first phase of infrastructure improvemets to boost efficiency of Canada’s trade with North America and Asia is underway. The development of a four-lane divided expressway and upgrades to Highway 75 around CentrePort Canada is just the beginning of a multi-pronged plan to move trade more effectively across the country and into the Asia Pacific Gateway, as well as the United States and Mexico. The project calls Continue Reading

Costs for ground transportation for Canadian shippers took a slight hit in March, according to the latest Canadian General Freight Index. Overall, freight costs dropped 2.6 percent that month, erasing the gains from February. Base rates, excluding fuel surcharges, decreased 1.9% with average Continue Reading

Effective June 1, the Canadian province of Alberta will make available $2 million in incentives for truckers who choose to invest in fuel-saving technologies. The program’s eligible technologies include: trailer skirts and fairings ($500); end fairings ($500); cab heaters ($400); auxiliary power units ($1,500); gap fairings ($300); and Continue Reading

The trucking industry will get a little greener, thanks to an order signed by President Obama last week which will require boosting fuel efficiency in medium- and heavy-duty trucks by 2014. With the support of trucking manufacturers and industry executives, Obama signed the order Friday and declared that its effects would hold benefit for consumers, Continue Reading

The Ontario Trucking Association is petitioning its provincial government to help subsidize the purchase of cutting edge green technologies, including 2010 engines that help reduce emissions, that are part of the Canadian Trucking Associations enviroTruck initiative. OTA President David Bradley urged the use of super-accelerated Continue Reading

Total net orders for Class 8 trucks have reached their lowest levels since July of 2002, giving some analysts hope that perhaps that number has hit bottom. While it may have reach the point at which it will post gains, market researchers tend to think it may have a lot more to do with the hefty price tags 2010-emission compliant equipment carries, not to mention the uncertainty Continue Reading