TORONTO — Dozens of trucks will line the center lane eastbound on Highway 401 this morning en route to Queen’s Park to protest Ontario and Quebec’s passage of mandatory speed limiter legislation.

Protest organizer, Scott Mooney of Cambridge, Ont., who’s also a Canadian member of OOIDA, will lead a convoy of truckers at about 9:00 am from Cambridge, Ont. to downtown Toronto.

Another peaceful convoy will depart from Bowmanville at the same time. There was also chatter coming from Mooney’s anti-speed limiter member Facebook page that a third contingent from London, Ont. would join in, but that hasn’t been confirmed.

Also, individual truckers from all over Southern Ontario could make their way down to Queen’s Park on their own.

Legislation requiring all trucks operating in Ontario and Quebec to set engine governors at a maximum of 105 km/h took effect on Jan. 1. Police and MTO inspectors will educate truckers on the rule until July 1. At that point hard enforcement kicks-in and truckers will be fined for not having limiters activated ($250 in Ontario, $350 in Quebec).

Owner-ops and drivers generally oppose the plan, saying a greater differential in speed between cars and trucks can be dangerous. And while most routinely travel below the speed limit anyway, many insist they sometimes need a boost beyond 105 km/h to react to various traffic conditions.

Mooney says the convoy will abide by OPP orders that trucks use the middle lane to minimize the impact on traffic.

Meanwhile, as the mainstream news media begins to give the speed limiter issue more exposure, a handful of provinces outside of central Canada have reiterated that there is no interest in mandating speed limiters there.

In a weekend Canadian Press report, says Jerry Bellikka, spokesman for the Alberta Ministry of Transportation, says to impede trucks from keeping up with regular traffic flow would create a "safety problem."

"If truckers feel that it’s going to save them gas or fuel, then by all means go ahead and put (speed limiters) in. But the government is ?not about to tell people or companies they have to do it."

Manitoba would only adopt such a law if every province in Canada agreed to do the same, something John Spacek, an assistant deputy minister in Manitoba’s Department of Infrastructure, concedes isn’t about to happen any time soon.

Earlier this year, Nova Scotia Transportation Department spokesman Steve Smith said his department hasn’t received any requests to move towards speed limiter legislation and it doesn’t plan on doing so.