TORONTO, Ont. – The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) is praising the provincial Ministry of Transportation (MTO) for what it said were improvements to the long combination vehicle (LCV) program.

“OTA, MTO and the carriers in the program have been working for a while to bring about these enhancements,” said OTA vice-president of operations and safety Geoff Wood. “We are extremely pleased with today’s announcement and commend minister Del Duca and his staff for working with OTA to develop a sustainable LCV program in the province.”

Changes to the LCV program include:

– The expansion of the primary highway network (to include Hwy 403, Hwy 407 E and Hwy 412 as well as Hwy 400 to Parry Sound)
– The removal of the cap on the number of permits available to each carrier (previously 16)
– The removal of the cap on the number of carriers in the program (previously 100);
– The introduction of two new vehicle configurations (for transporting vehicles and container chassis)
– The expansion of the distance LCVs can travel off the primary highway network to access shipper and carrier facilities to 5 km (previously 2 km)

The move signals the next phase of the MTO’s LCV program, an effort that has been in the works since 2009 and was the result of a multi-year collaboration with the trucking industry.

“Over the years, the number of permits and carriers has increased,” said Wood. “However, this most recent update has removed many of the restrictions that have held the program back from flourishing in the province.”

The OTA said it would contact LCV carriers shortly to discuss the program further.