Feds heed CTA advice to strengthen rules for vehicle recalls

by Truck News

TORONTO, Ont. – In a big win for the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), the federal government is following its recommendation to strengthen how it manages vehicle recalls.

The CTA met with over 400 members back in 2015 to discuss the upcoming second phase of the greenhouse gas (GHG) regulation, and the leading concern at the time was the matter of equipment reliability and the ability of carriers to have these issues addressed.

In an outline for how the government should address the GHG regulation, the CTA suggested that the integrity of Canada’s vehicle recall system needed to be reinforced, and transport minister Marc Garneau said Bill S-2 (Strengthening Motor Vehicle Safety for Canadians Act) addresses the concern.

“Bill S-2 will grant the federal transport minister new powers to order manufacturers and importers of the majority of power units and trailers sold in Canada to issue recall notices and order the correction of any issues of non-compliance, which the minister believes is in the interest of safety,” said CTA senior vice-president Stephen Laskowski. “While that suggests the scope of the policy may be somewhat limited to matters of safety, this is a positive development for purchasers of heavy-duty trucking equipment.”

The bill proposes that any vehicle or equipment manufacturer whose product receives a national safety mark, anyone who sells a vehicle or equipment to which a national safety mark is applied, or imports any vehicle or equipment of a class for which standards are prescribed fall under the new rules.

Though the proposed regulation does not define what could be considered ‘in the interest of safety,’ a number of Transport Canada websites and publications do provide guidance.

“There are several factors at play here but it really comes down to a problem that occurs with little or no warning and is not due to everyday wear and tear, a lack of maintenance, or negligence by the owner,” added Laskowski. “This definition appears to be limited in scope to defects that directly endanger the safety of a person, rather than defects that cause some indirect safety-related issue.”

The CTA will continue to work with Transport Canada leading up to the potential passage of the bill.


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