TORONTO, Ont. – Amendments to Ontario Bills 147, the Employment Standards Act, and 139, the Labour Relations Amendment Act, will have some important consequences for the trucking industry, say experts in the province’s laws.

“There is a lot of uncertainty in the trucking industry on this,” says Private Motor Truck Council (PMTC) president Bruce Richards, at a seminar on the changes held in Toronto in mid-March.

He says the PMTC, which represents private fleets, will be in “consultations” with the Ministry of Labour on Mar. 31. They will discuss the details of the legislation, and how it impacts issues such as Hours of Service (HOS), overtime thresholds, and unionization rules.

“The overtime trigger can be taken to apply generally, but the 50-60 hour triggers are also in the regulations currently and will be in the new regulations. The ministry will have to undergo consultation with the trucking industry to resolve these issues,” says Brendan Flanagan, a policy advisor with the Ministry of Labour. He notes, “But none of the existing regulations and special exemptions are expected to be carried forth without special consideration.”

The new Act also provides for a maximum eight-hour day or a “regular day” (of more than eight hours), or a 48-hour work week – unless the employee agrees in writing to work excess hours. n