BELLEVILLE, Ont. – Canada’s new federal Hours-of-Service regulations were slated for implementation Jan. 1, but not all provinces will be enforcing them by the intended deadline. When Truck News went to press, the governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and New Brunswick had still declined to put the new rules into effect, claiming more time was needed for consultation. So what will a delay in implementation mean for carriers running inter- and intraprovincially? Some have said they fear the result will be a free-for-all with little or no regulation. Truck News stopped by the 10-Acre Truck Stop in Belleville, Ont. to find out how important drivers think it is for the new HoS rules to be met by all provinces at the same time.

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Larry Lepine, a driver with CTR Truckload in Cornwall, Ont. says he’s been accustomed to using the US HoS, as most of his freight runs into the states. But for carriers running inter-provincially, Lepine says there is a definite need to comply across the country.

“If you don’t get it together right across the board, then you’re going to have one province going against the other. Who’s going to benefit from that?” he asks. “It won’t be the drivers. Drivers will be the ones that have to dock their logbook or take things into their own hands, so to speak.”

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Keith Lunel, a driver with Meridian I.Q. in Brampton, Ont., agrees with Lepine that all provinces should be complying at the same time to remain consistent. “I can’t see how they do that anyway if it’s supposed to be federal law,” said Lunel, a trucker for almost 40 years.

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Lars Christensen, an owner/operator with Winnipeg Motor Express, hasn’t been behind the wheel for almost a year because of an injury, but is wholeheartedly in favour of the new HoS.

“In my opinion, if the truck does not leave the country of Canada, all the provinces should have the same set of rules,” he says. “You don’t need a tired trucker trying to do his logbook who has to jump from one set of rules to another. In Ontario, his logbook might be legal and it says that he could still drive four more hours, but the second he crosses the border into New Brunswick, it tells him that he has to shut down. I think for young guys that are new to this and guys that are getting older, they need to take the extra time off.”

Christensen said the ideal set of rules for Hours-of-Service would take variables like the age of the driver, weather conditions, terrain and overall driving experience into consideration.

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Monty Macausland, a driver with Midland Transport in Dieppe, N.B., says a set of rules for North America would be a more efficient standard, especially since so many drivers make north-south runs on a regular basis. But for now, the new HoS rules will be good for drivers.

“A lot of guys are running tired and they should be off the road, but once your log starts, you’ve got to keep going,” he says.

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Jean-Denis Sullivan, an owner/operator with XTL Transport near Montreal, Que., agreed with all drivers Truck News spoke with and reiterated that all provinces should comply together. The driver of eight years said the new rules will be a great way to keep drivers more alert and focused on the roads.

“You’re probably going to have less accidents, less careless driving,” he says. “Many times on the 401, drivers are weaving in and out of their lanes because they’re driving too many hours. We should work 10 hours a day maximum and 600 miles a day.”