Let the police worry about speeding trucks

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Dear Editor:

I first started in the transportation business in 1983 as a driver-trainer for a large school bus company. Since then I’ve been working as a director of safety for a large bulk TDG transport company.

I also served 15 years as a senior loss prevention representative for insurance companies.

Since 2004 I have been a safety consultant with 20 clients in various areas of Ontario.

I have a huge problem with the MTO and their speed limiter legislation.

Any carrier today trying to survive fuel prices and the inflated costs of trucking has their fleet limited to 100 km/h.

I drove part-time for SLH Transport from 1989 to 2002 and all their company trucks were reduced to 95 km/h. We don’t have a speeding problem in Ontario with large trucks.

We have an enforcement problems not pulling over speeding trucks.

Ask any Ontario carrier who drives in Michigan, Ohio or New York State and see if they speed? These states closely monitor the truck traffic and aren’t afraid of charging truckers for being in the wrong lane or exceeding the speed limit.

This speed limiter legislation is feel-good politics that does nothing to reduce bad driving behaviour.

Let’s not even talk about this saving “greenhouse” gases because the feds have no clue how much it will save.

I also have a hard time believing that they are going to enforce the speed limiter rule on non-Ontario plated trucks.

At this time the MTO can’t even enforce the newly required pre-trip inspection report from the trucks south of the border.

It’s time to get the OPP out on the road and pull over speeding trucks just like they do cars.

Mark Richardson Safety consultant Via e-mail

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