MONTREAL, Que. and TORONTO, Ont. – Quebec and Ontario have signed a new deal on weights and dimensions that is to take effect on Jan. 1, 2001, following seven years of protracted negotiations.

Tandems will be limited to 18,000 kg, and quad-axle semi-trailers with self-steering lift axles will be allowed 32,000 or 34,000 kg, depending on the axle spread. Tridem semi-trailers will be limited to 24,000 or 26,000 kg, depending on the spread, in an element of the deal to be phased in over five years.

Meanwhile, Quebec carriers will now be able to access the limited trial of 53-foot quad semi-trailers with self-steering axles. (Ontario first introduced the test in June 1999.) And Ontario haulers will be able to use the so-called Quebec quad, which measures 50 feet, 10 inches in length.

The transition period for the changes will include a permit system to last for 10 years.

The provinces have announced that they will also participate in a research program to test on-board monitoring systems – “black boxes” – for tracking everything from hours of service to vehicle speed and axle weights. A joint trial of such a box is to begin by 2003.

Some changes, however, are specific to Ontario.

That province will also phase-down weights allowed on non-dump triaxle semi-trailers (which typically include a standard lift axle). About 3,000 kg will be lost by 2006, with the exception of some specialized tankers, while another 1,500 kg will be reduced after 2011, depending on the type of trailer.

So too does the province plan to establish a specific lift-axle penalty. And Ontario also plans to create a special permit system to screen and monitor vehicles that “have a minor weight or dimensional variance from the existing regulations.”

The province says it still plans to address lift-axle equipped dump semi-trailers; all remaining semi-trailers equipped with lift axles; and lift-axle-equipped straight trucks and their trailers. (Unlike details first reported to Truck News, the agreement doesn’t address the configurations at this time.)

It also wants to ink deals with other North American jurisdictions.

“This agreement makes a real contribution to safety because it promotes a new generation of vehicle combinations with enhanced road safety performance,” says Quebec Transport Minister Guy Chevrette.

For the industry, the deal clears up many nagging questions as to what equipment will be allowed.

“This bilateral agreement will enable the transport industry in both jurisdictions to invest confidently in productive, safe equipment that will help reduce the deterioration of Ontario roads and bridges,” Ontario Transport Minister David Turnbull adds. Specifically, he cites details that will discourage the use of traditional lift axles, and replace them with self-steering designs.

According to Ontario, roads and bridges are being damaged when lift axles are raised to negotiate corners.

The provinces indicated through a press release that other deals may already be in the works, noting that “the agreement may also serve as a model for similar agreements, with other administrations. It comes in the wake of government commitments, in the framework of the Agreement on International Trade, to harmonize regulations and standards regarding motor vehicle load and size limits.”

Once these latest changes are in effect, Ontario expects to save $100 million through the reduced wear on roads and bridges.

Said Ontario Trucking Association president David Bradley, the deal “is an innovative, creative and responsible approach to harmonizing truck weights and dimensions with Ontario’s largest Canadian trading partner, without sacrificing Ontario carriers’ productivity and competitiveness.

“When you look at where we were seven years ago when the harmonization discussions first began, I think that most in the industry will agree that this is a significant, positive step.” n

Manufacturers announce layoffs

PORTLAND, Ore. – As truck orders dry up on this side of the border and U.S. truck sales continue to drop, workers who build the equipment that you drive are beginning to see layoff notices – in stark contrast to the around-the-clock work that had to be done to accommodate record truck sales in recent years.

Freightliner LLC will lay off 3,745 workers – 19 per cent of its workforce. Among the plants affected is Sterling Truck’s facility in St. Thomas, Ont., which will lay off 692 workers on Dec. 4. Navistar International, meanwhile, will eliminate approximately 1,100 salaried and contract positions, meaning a 15 per cent reduction in white-collar workers.

While North America’s heavy-truck output dropped to 270,000 units as a whole in the first half of 2000, down from 316,000 during the same period in 1999, Canada’s Class 8 truck sales were up 6.5 per cent. n