B.C. speed limiter mandate comes into effect April 5

by Today's Trucking

Heavy commercial vehicles will have digital technology activated to help moderate their speeds on B.C. highways, as the mandatory use of speed limiters comes into effect on April 5.

Trucks with a GVWR of more than 11,793 kg (26,000 lb.) that were manufactured after 1994 will be required to have the devices installed in their vehicles to operate in the province. The devices must be programmed to a maximum speed of 105 km/h (65 m/h), which effectively prevents these vehicles from accelerating past that speed.

Announced by the province in December last year, the legislative amendments made to the Motor Vehicle Act mean that any contraventions, including not being equipped with a speed limiter or not having it accurately programmed, will result in a fine, including a victim surcharge of $368.

speeding truck
(Photo: iStock)

Some vehicles are exempt from the legislation, including emergency vehicles and motorhomes, as well as in certain circumstances, such as during emergency response or if the vehicle is equipped with an electronic control module that is incapable of meeting the speed limiter requirements. Exemptions are made at the discretion of the director of Commercial Vehicle and Safety Enforcement.  

The change brings B.C. into alignment with other jurisdictions where these requirements have seen reductions in crashes. As heavy commercial vehicles regularly travel cross-country, speed limiters provide consistency for carriers and truckers who travel between B.C., Ontario and Quebec, where these requirements also exist.


Have your say


This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.

*

  • It has been a disaster along with elogs. I pushed for hourly pay with overtime when speed limiters came in
    .otherwise this will just drop the truck drivers pay

    • We have been paying our drivers hourly for over 10 years. It was a good move for us, driver’s feel like they are being compensated fairly for all work done not just cranking miles.

  • Speed eliminator devises actually cause crashes .Ask the ministry to release the stats on accidents created by slow traveling trucks.
    Either there was no survey done or if there was they are buried and not to be available to the public.
    Just like the seat belt legislation. First stats showed that there was 70%of reduced to no injury, then it was reduced to 60%, now sits at 50/50
    These regulations are most based opuon usually the person or ministry that implicating them

    • I believe you have confused fender benders on side streets and parking lots with head on collisions on canadas mostly unseperated highways.

      Also trucks can’t get into that high of a gear on side street or parking lots so not sure where your going with the accidents at slow speed.

      If you look into accidents at slow speed involving trucks its mostly the other drivers fault not allowing wide turns , following to close and not paying attention and just everyone doesn’t want to be behind truck lets accelerate cut him off and get ahead of him.

      My grandpa uncle and grandma who where in a big cubevan with 30 foot box on way to cottage almost got head on by truck driver having apparent sneezing fit grandpa had to crash in forest into some trees that where 2 feet across.

      If they had hit truck everyone would be dead including truck driver who was on life support. Grandma was getting chemo so she almost died too that shortened her life. Now picture that accident in your much smaller vehicle.

    • Looked up your seat belt stats those are death/serious injuries numbers not injuries.

      Then just up to whoever doing your surveys you quoted at deciding what a serious injury is.l hence discrepancies Also like 35% of North American vehicles have no working airbags so yeah I would expect number to keep getting worse till we start putting working airbags back into vehicles.

      Especially as vehicles keep getting softer and lighter and crappier designed for accidents. We unfortunately already passed thr best combination of crumple zones and a solid car.

      Now we make em really soft and reinforce some spots to crumple before we made a spot weaker with cross braces to crumple.

      So to summarize yeah that’s not stats getting more accurate that’s up to a person to decide what serious injuries are and cars becoming death traps not better statistics

  • They need a “Way Strickter” law and double enforcement in Ontario. These truckers today don’t give a crap for safety. !!!

    • Agreed. I was BEEP allthe way for about 25 km as I was going over the speed limit by 10 km by 2 long haul trucks that were inches to my rear bumper. Really dangerous, careless and no regards whatsoever for safety.

      • If it’s really about “safety” then why not make it apply to ALL vehicles……cars, motor homes, motorcycles……..ALL vehicles should be following posted speed limits!! Here’s a better idea….forget about speed limiters, and make fines for speeding a deterrent instead of a source of revenue. I’d suggest something like $100/km over posted speed limits. When you have a vehicle limited to 105 trying to pass another that is doing 102 or 103 you certainly increase the risks.

        • If tye vehicle you want to oass is doingb102 or 103 and you want to do 105….do you really beed to pass…in 10 hour you’ll save 20 minutes at the most…

    • Drunk drivers pay victim surcharge. Smoking in banned location victim surcharge. Dumping in prohibited spot victim surcharge. I can keep going for 100s of crimes with no apparent victim.

      Unless you realize everyone was a possible victim which is why it’s like that reason 1 and reason 2 is.

      If we only gave the people crashing and killing with victim surcharge I presume the surcharge would be more then my grocery bill for the week. Not the measly 364$ or w.e

      Maybe 10-100k. As many more dangerous drivers and speeders then there are accidents obviously.

  • When Ontario first implemented the speed limiters I will admit the limiters were annoying and in my opinion 105 km/h isn’t high enough. The flow of traffic moves at a minimum of 120 km/h and trucks should be at least 110-115 km/h. The current limited speed is a hinderence. I have been driving truck for over 30 years and have seen my share of accidents on the hiways. Granted..some are caused by truck drivers and for whatever reason it happened..speed is not always the reason. If large trucks are required to have limiters then maybe it’s time for cars to be limited also. 800 horsepower cars that can reach speeds of over 200km/h are not really necessary on the hiways

    • Agreed with your car comments as there are way to many crazy people out there. However dont forget the 18 whellers are like Atomic Bomb…they are big…heavy..and causes way more damage when involved in accident….hence the speed limitors are a must as there are also way too many crazy truck driver also.

      • So when passing workers on the highway the speed limit is 50 or 60 k the truck is limited to 105 where’s the safety come into play. I’ve seen Bison going into Salmon Arm down the hill doing close to 95 the speed limit is 50. So I’m not understanding the safety excuse. Better training or enforcement of the traffic law is the only way to stop the carnage

    • Speed is not the issue. Proper driver training and lack of enforcement of drunk, high or distracted drivers is the problem.
      In 2019 (last full year before the pandemic) there where 3.7 deaths by traffic accidents in Germany (Say hello Autobahn) but 5.3 deaths per 100,000 residents.

  • The trucking industry is over regulated truckers need to get paid more per hour and more per mile and if they think it’s going to reduce truck crashes there very mistaken people that make laws like this have never driven a vehicle with a trailer the biggest thing they have ever driven is a Tesla

  • As a class 1 driver ,This is a good start, I drive between Calgary and Vancouver often in a four wheel vehicle, It is dangerous seeing the trucks speeding through Banff doing plus 110 km in a 90 max limit. All are new comer truck drivers. Last weekend I was cutoff by a truck doing a no signal lane change and had to slam on the brakes. I pulled into the brake check station a couple miles up ahead and let the idiot know what an impressive moron he was and you can guess who it was driving the truck. More CV enforcement is needed on the highway to keep the accidents that are constantly happening on the highways by the crappy drivers

  • That situation will cause more traffic and delays on pick up and delivery so it’s not good idea

  • Let’s add more cost to transport of goods, carbon tax, clean fuel act and now limit speed so it takes more time and hence more $ to deliver goods.
    Limiting speed does not make the roads safer, difference in speed has been proven to cause accidents, as usual stupid legislation without any research. Flush the turd, flush the ndp, flush eby

  • So I’m a truck driver in USA and just the other day some driver in a bmw car was tail gating me as I was trying to pass another semi truck we were both traveling around 68 mph I had just a little more and this evidently caused road rage wit the car driver tailing me for awhile and finally I was able to pass the other truck and the car driver in the bmw passed me as I got over and he deliberately got in front of me and just slammed on his brakes if I was not paying attention it would of been catastrophic so how is this safer and I would like some of those wonderful politicians to exsplain to me how going one speed for trucks is safer and I’m sure this has happened in Canada and caused huge accidents and road rage

  • Ontario no longer checks for this limiter since they lost a lawsuit and subsequent appeal. Many of the large fleets that pushed for and endorsed the original “limiter” have since “turned” their trucks back up to 112kph +! I get passed by Challenger and IFS trucks while going uphill at 105 on a daily basis not to mention virtually EVERY triaxle gravel hauler on the 404. Maybe BC enforcement will be more robust but here in Ontario it’s a JOKE

  • Does not matter to since the governor in truck I us is set at 103 km. But there is going to be more mad class 5 drivers because all semi trucks are going to be to slow for them especially on two lanes roads.
    Good side being saving fuel from slower speed for truck.

  • In the article it states that not using or altering a device will result in a victim surcharge of $368.00.
    Just curious as to who the “ victim “ would be since there is no mention of being involved in an accident.

  • In my opinion as a heavy wrecker operator as well as highway commercial driver for over 45 years, the posted speed limit should also be limited to 105 maximum. Passenger vehicles are more to blame for commercial vehicles accidents than the trucker alone. Today’s car driver probably learned how to drive on video games, therefore treating it as such.

  • I’m concerned that some 4 wheelers will use speed limiters to antagonize legitimate truckers.
    Being capable of decreasing and increasing speed quickly , unthinking 4 wheels may be tempted to antagonize , unnecessarily , truckers.
    I won’t mention the many other negatives in mandating speed limiters.

  • Do you understand this process at all? There is no device to be installed!! It is a computer program that has been on the engine since being manufactured. Reports write, politicians make rules to get clicks.

    Neither one of these professions understand anything about the trucker. I’m my opinion I believe you people ( who write and make rules ) should spend one month with various drivers to get a better understanding and appreciation of truckers lifestyle

    Goodluck and I won’t hold my breath waiting

  • Another example of taking control away from the driver.
    Another result of hiring people who like to drive a truck instead of hiring truckers.
    If companies would hire professional drivers and let them drive less automated trucks, these government interventions would be deemed unnecessary.

  • In Europe they not only have a speed limit but are required to drive only in the right hand out side lane and the major highways have three lanes.

  • Can anyone explain how an electronic speed limiter will work on a non electronic truck with mechanical injection.

    • Early model trucks with non-electronic engines ( Cat A and B models, Cummins NT and 444 models, Detroit 2 cycle engines, for example) are exempt from this rule. It is necessary to have an electronic control module (computer) on your engine to be able to install the speed limiting parameters, similar to the E-LOG exemption for mechanical engines.

  • Try passing a car and as soon as they realizr u r passing they speed up. At 105 the truck driver is stuck in the left lane with no where to go. This happens multiple times a day. So where is the safety in that.