Minister Bradley talks speed limiters at photo op; says PQ on its way
TORONTO — After touring the Truck World 2008 show in Toronto with his namesake from the Ontario Trucking Association, Transportation Minister Jim Bradley stopped by the Kenworth booth to show how speed limiters work and answer questions about the technology from the media.
Flanked by OTA President David Bradley and Kenworth and Cummins officials, Jim Bradley displayed (with a lot of help from a Cummins’ rep) how the ECM chip in a truck engine could be programmed to govern speed at 105 km/h — which is the limit the government proposed be set for all trucks in the province in recent legislation tabled last month.
The minister said that the department is working on training roadside enforcement officers on how to check for speed limiter activation and make sure the device hasn’t been tampered with.
When asked by Today’s Trucking in the media scrum if the rule acknowledges the ability for some fleets with GPS or Geofencing technology to “switch” off the speed limiter device when leaving the province, Minister Bradley said that the issue would be discussed as government officials closely examine the proposal en route to Second Reading in the Legislature.
He then deferred to OTA’s David Bradley, who said that such technology already exists, although it probably needs some more time to mature.
speed limiters at the Truck World show in Toronto today.
That, however, just might be at odds with the concept of a purely tamper-proof speed limiter. Plus, it could be a very expensive addition for small fleets and owner-ops whose trucks are not already so equipped.
The rule could be rubberstamped as early as the fall, providing it gets pushed up the legislative ladder rather quickly. Minister Bradley acknowledged that there is a general consensus among all three Ontario parties on the issue.
He also revealed that Quebec is on the verge of taking the next step with its own speed limiter proposal. The province actually unveiled its speed limiter rule months ago, but decided to back off its introduction in the Legislature until Ontario did so first.
Minister Bradley confirmed, however, that his government is working with Quebec so that both laws are “implemented at the same time.”
Have your say
This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.