OTTAWA, Ont. – Transport Minister, David Collenette, recently announced proposed regulations that would enhance the safety of Canada’s commercial motor vehicle carriers and their drivers.

The new regulations, which will amend the Motor Vehicle Transportation Act, aim to establish a common approach to safety ratings across Canada. They will provide a framework that will enable provinces and territories to implement a consistent safety rating system for motor vehicle carriers who operate extraprovincially.

Responsibility for motor carrier safety is shared between the federal, provincial and territorial governments. The provinces and territories will be responsible for enforcing the proposed regulations.

Under the new regulations, provinces and territories would monitor safety performance for all extra-provincial motor carriers in their jurisdiction.

The input from all jurisdictions in which a carrier operates will allow the jurisdiction where the carrier is based to maintain a complete safety compliance profile. Carriers whose safety performance is rated unsatisfactory could be prohibited by provinces and territories from operating on Canadian roads. For more information visit, www.tc.gc.ca