TORONTO, Ont. — Long Combination Vehicles (LCVs) are coming to Ontario.

The provincial government announced today it will allow up to 100 LCVs to participate in a pilot project. They’ll consist of a single tractor pulling two 53-ft. trailers under certain restrictions, the province announced in a release. The LCV regulations will be harmonized with Quebec rules, and will greatly improve truck efficiency, according to the province.

The LCVs will be piloted by drivers with a special LCV Driver Certificate working for carriers that are members of the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) and Private Motor Truck Council of Canada.

“We are taking a careful look at long combination vehicles to test their benefits,” announced Ontario Transport Minister, Jim Bradley. “The additional advantages to our environment and economy would be welcomed.”

Shippers and truckers immediately applauded the announcement.

“This is a good thing for Ontario’s retailers and manufacturers,” said Bob Ballantyne, president of the Canadian Industrial Transportation Association. “LCVs will reduce transportation costs, fuel consumption and emissions associated with truck transportation.”

The OTA, which has been lobbying for the LCV pilot program for some time, also lauded the program.

“Today’s announcement represents a huge leap forward in productivity for the trucking industry. This will definitely make Ontario industries more productive and help keep investment and jobs in Ontario,” said OTA chief David Bradley.

“We’re extremely pleased that this government has stepped forward to provide more productive and environmentally friendly freight transportation in Ontario. LCVs have been allowed for years in most other Canadian jurisdictions and over half of the US states, with today’s announcement Ontario is no longer an island with respect to LCV use. The Premier and the Minister deserve a great deal of credit for showing leadership on this issue.”

Bradley pointed out LCVs have an exemplary safety record where they’ve been used in Quebec and Western Canada and that they will only be operated “by special permit under the strictest of conditions” in Ontario.

“Study after study has shown that LCVs have an excellent safety record,” said Bradley. “This is attributable mainly to the special permit conditions under which LCVs operate. For example, one Alberta study estimated that LCVs account for a reduction of 67 collisions a year, when compared to the number of collisions that would be realized by using single-trailer configurations for the same operations.”

The OTA also points out LCVs are environmentally-friendly, requiring 30% less fuel to move two trailers. That equates to a greenhouse gas reduction of 151 kilotonnes per year in Ontario, according to one study, if they were to be widely used.

And they’ll reduce road congestion too, according to OTA, by eliminating up to 750,000 truck trips in Ontario each year and removing 2,800 trucks per day from Toronto area highways, if widely used.

“While it’s been a long road and LCVs have been a long time coming to Ontario, today’s historic announcement opens the door to a more productive freight movement system in this province,” said OTA’s Bradley.