Canadian Trucking: Trucking Regulations

Trucking in Canada is a major component of the industrial and consumer based segment of the economy, not only for Canada alone, but for the US as well. The Canadian trucking industry accounts for 1.2 % of the Canadian national GDP and combined (for-hire freight hauling as well as privately owned transportation) generates close to 70Billion dollars in revenue annually, employing almost half a million workers. This system is backed by the 700,000 trucks and a wide ranging infrastructure; 900,000 miles of Canadian public roads as well as 40,000 miles of highway across the country, connecting seaports, railway and river / lake docks in every corner of the nation.

Trucks carry the majority of the raw material destined for industrial units producing consumer goods like food products etc and the vast majority of finished products from industrial production to the retail and distribution networks in Canada and the to the US (75 % of the imports from the US and half of Canada's exports through the US - about 330 billion dollars). Trucking is therefore the major link in the supply chain that is the lifeblood of the economy.

Trucking freight Related Regulations

Transportation of goods using heavy trucks, through the for-hire truck industry, covers about 32 billion Km, and this number is always increasing - approximately 250 billion tonne-Kilometers are driven by the for-hire truck industry every year (140 billion domestically). Trucking regulations for freight transportation trucks vary in the three NAFTA countries (and State-to-State in the US); however, a growing need for regulating this industry in terms of safety necessitates the use of stringent safety requirements in qualifying trucks to carry this large volume of freight.

National Safety code - factors relating to driver qualifications

Driver licensing and knowledge / performance testing as well as criteria for suspension
Training of driver-examiners
License classifications - different licensing procedures for different types of transport vehicles
Self certification criteria - for companies which train truck drivers
Medical requirements for drivers
Shipping companies and drivers profiles - maintained in the jurisdiction that they operate in
Limitation on hours of service for drivers
Cargo / load security and inspection - securing cargo following standard procedures for safety; compliance is ensures through regular inspections
On-road inspections - for the inspection of drivers and vehicles on the road to check for compliance with regulations
Audits - record keeping requirements for carriers so that their practices may be reviewed
Trip reports - Drivers are required to inspect trucks prior to each trip and write a formal inspection report
Safety ratings - a system to rate carriers based on road performance (collusions, inspections and traffic violations)
Traffic regulations & truck weight and dimensions - ndash; standards on how trucks can be driven on different roads, what weights they can carry and what sized containers are allowed
Vehicle safety and emission standards
Taxation - special regulations (jurisdiction specific requirements) for taxation
Drugs and Alcohol testing for drivers (required for transportation services in the US)
Transportation of dangerous goods - regulations and standards for the transportation of specified goods classified as dangerous
Border Regulations - how trucks can be used across the border and what drivers can and cannot do without a work-permit

References:
Online PDF (free domains): Report Ron Lennox, Vice President - Canadian Trucking Alliance to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and food: www[dot]cantruck[dot]ca/iMISpublic/Submissions3/AM/ContentManagerNet/ContentDisplay.aspx?Section=Submissions3&;NoTemplate=1&;ContentID=3610
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ts-sdc.nsf/eng/fd00264.html
www[dot]tc[dot]gc[dot]ca/pol/en/report/truckactivity/chapter6.htm