Transport committee likes CCMTA H-o-S proposals

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OTTAWA, Ont. — After months of wrangling, the federal transport committee has endorsed the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) proposed changes to the Hours-of-Service regime.

The proposal, including the Canadian Trucking Alliance(CTA)/Teamsters amendment capping consecutive daily driving hours at 13, is not yet law, mind you.

“Although the battle of getting a modernized H-o-S regime is not yet won, getting the proposal through committee essentially intact is a major victory for CTA,” says CTA chief executive officer David Bradley.

“The last few weeks saw considerable behind the scenes work by CTA staff and members in trying to shore up support for the proposal.”

Countless telephone calls and meetings with MP’s and staffers where needed to answer lingering concerns and questions regarding the proposal, he explains.

“I would also like to thank those provincial managers and those carriers who took the time to call key members of parliament to explain the importance of new H-o-S rules for our industry and for our drivers,” Bradley adds. “There is no doubt in my mind that this concerted effort was instrumental in getting the committee to support the proposal — we have been told that by committee members.”

The actual report from the transport committee will be tabled in the House tomorrow and, according to the CTA, it recommends that the Transport minister send the proposal back to CCMTA for final disposition with only one amendment. (That being the cap on consecutive daily hours.)

The Committee has also recommended that the government conduct a review of the effectiveness of the new rules within an unspecified period of time (probably 3-5 years).

The rail-funded Citizens for Responsible And Safe Highways (CRASH) has already issued a statement claiming the acceptance of the proposal amounts to the issuing of, “licences to kill.”

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