TORONTO, (Dec. 23, 2004) — The Ontario Trucking Association is trying to educate municipalities in the province about engine brakes, in the hopes that some jurisdictions refrain from banning them entirely.

OTA’s Rolf Vanderzwaag told around a hundred delegates and traffic engineers attending the fall meeting of the Ontario Traffic Conference that engine brakes — commonly dubbed “Jake” brakes — don’t usually produce the excessive noise that draws complaints from residents in municipalities. Instead, Vanderzwaag insisted, much of the loud rattling noise heard when a truck comes to an abrupt halt comes from a truck with a modified or faulty exhaust system, which makes the engine louder than normal.

“Some drivers intentionally modify their exhaust systems to make their trucks louder than usual, there is no technical reason to do it and it doesn’t improve the performance of the engine under power or during braking,” said Vanderzwaag, who is OTA’s maintenance and technical issues manager.

Some municipalities have in the past attempted to introduce bylaws banning the use of engine brakes entirely. The OTA is hopeful the information session helps change the way local governments deal with the trucking industry in the future.

Vanderzwaag, advised the municipalities to deal with the situation by enforcing local noise bylaws that are designed to control noise levels.

The OTA says that since the presentation, one Ontario municipality has petitioned both the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Environment to enforce against improper truck exhaust systems within their existing roadside inspection programs.