TORONTO – It’s been a long haul. 106 feet long to be precise.

After months of to-ing and fro-ing, the Ontario government has finally said yes to longer combination vehicles (LCVs); a.k.a., Rocky Mount Doubles.

Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) boss David Bradley calls the decision a “huge leap forward.”

LCVs refer to trucks pulling twin 53-ft. trailers. If all goes well, they should be appearing on Ontario highways this summer.

Unfortunately, though, only "active" OTA or Private Motor Truck Council carrier members will be invited to take part in the pilot — at least to start.

A maximum of 50 carriers will be selected (by lottery). Each carrier will be eligible for two permits only and will be subject to a first year review.

You can be sure there’ll be a public outcry, especially when letter-to-the-editor-writing bicyclists get an eyeful of how big these things are.

That reaction might be somewhat muted when the protestors learn that the introduction of LCVs could mean almost 2,800 fewer trucks per day on Toronto streets. Not to mention the environmental benefits.

According to Bradley, “Because LCVs can achieve total fuel savings of about 30 percent there is an equal reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. In fact a recent study estimated that for freight movements in Ontario the annual savings would be 54 million litres of fuel leading to a reduction of some 151 kilotonnes of GHG.”

Ontario finally takes its dose of Vitamin LCV, as
other provinces have either done or experimented with.

The move brings Ontario into line with Alberta, B.C., Nova Scotia, and Quebec all of which have allowed LCVs, — with various restrictions — for some time now. 

The longer trucks will at first only be allowed to operate by special permit under strict conditions.

“We’re satisfied that the program unveiled today is a reasonable one which will enable carriers to significantly improve their productivity while still ensuring that these vehicles are operated in a safe and responsible manner.

Bradley pointed out that there are no safety issues. “Study after study has shown that LCVs have an excellent safety record. 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."

He also indicated that, “Studies have also found that LCVs will help address road congestion, reducing the total number of trucks on the highways by up to 750,000 trips per year, this would mean up to 2,800 fewer trucks per day on Toronto area freeways.”