OTTAWA, Ont. Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre has announced legislative and regulatory changes aimed ate improving improve road safety for Canadians. Amendments to the Motor Vehicle Transport Act along with changes to the Motor Carrier Safety Fitness Certificate Regulations is slated to come into force Jan. 1, 2006.

“Through these proposed amendments, we will be able to establish a common approach to safety ratings nationally so that safe motor carriers may compete on a level playing field across Canada and eventually across North
America,” said Lapierre. “This will help improve safety, reduce the risk of commercial vehicle collisions and promote a fair and competitive environment for safe carriers.”

The Motor Carrier Safety Fitness Certificate Regulations are based on National Safety Code Standard #14 – Safety Ratings. The National Safety Code is a comprehensive code of performance standards for the safe operation of commercial vehicles. The code applies to all aspects of commercial truck and bus operations including drivers, vehicles and operators.

The responsibility for motor carrier safety is shared between federal and provincial/territorial governments. The proposed regulations would permit the provinces and territories to monitor tthe safety performance of all extra-provincial motor carriers that operate in or through their jurisdiction.

The revised safety rating regulation provides for the assignment of a rating, based on safety performance in areas such as vehicle maintenance, driver performance and accident record. The carrier would then receive a Safety Fitness Certificate, with one of the following four ratings: “satisfactory unaudited”; “satisfactory”; “conditional” or “unsatisfactory”. A carrier whose safety performance deteriorates significantly could be prohibited from operating on Canadian roads. The safety ratings would be available to the public.

Transport Canada will continue to work with the provinces and territories to implement legislative and regulatory changes across Canada that are aimed at improving safety on Canada’s roads.

Amendments to the MVTA received Royal Assent in June 2001, while proposed amendments to the Motor Carrier Safety Fitness Certificate Regulations will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part II on June 29.

For more information on the National Safety Code, visit the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators Web site at www.ccmta.ca