As previously reported by OTA the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) made some amendments to the extended semi-trailer trial (60 foot trailers) in Q4 2017 to allow more flexibility for participating trucking companies as well as increasing utilization of permits while maintaining a cap on the number of permits for the trial. These changes included:

• The trial will no longer be restricted to the retail sector;
• Permits will now be based on CVOR, rather than semitrailer Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The permits will list all semitrailer VINs desired by the carrier to be included in the trial, so participants would be able to increase their number of semitrailers in operation, so long as the number of trailers operating on the road at any one time is equal to the number of permits allocated to the carrier (still a max of 8 permits per carrier and a limit of 4 for first year of operation);
• In recognition of industry’s investment in equipment, MTO is allowing a 10-year grandfather allowance at the end of the trial, at the discretion of MTO.

This week MTO confirmed that applications under the modified conditions for the extended semitrailer trial operation are ready for interested participants. The modified conditions for operations and permit application forms can be found by clicking here.

“MTO’s measured approach in addressing 60-foot trailers through a limited trial is the appropriate action to take when considering if a new configuration should be introduced. MTO followed this path with long combination vehicles and extended stinger steer car carriers – both those programs are on successful, but limited, implementation paths,” said OTA president and CEO Stephen Laskowski. “Opening up the 60-ft trial to sectors outside of the retail world will allow opportunity for proof of concept to be tested in other areas, which is necessary to monitor the effectiveness and acceptance of this new configuration.”

While there have been some minor changes to the trial, it is still restricted to the following:

• No single carrier may hold more than 8 permits and no shipper may be associated with more than 8 permits as part of the trial;
• No more than 40 permits (total for all carriers combined) will be issued under this trial (to date, 3 carriers are operating a total of 20 permits, meaning 20 permits remain open for application by additional carriers);
• Carriers and their associated partner (shippers) are limited to 4 permits for their first calendar year in the trial. After one year of successful operations, the carrier may apply for up to 4 additional permits. MTO reserves the right to deny additional permits;
• Once carriers within the trial have safely completed 3.2 million km of travel within the Extended Semitrailer Configuration Trial, MTO will conduct a full evaluation of the trial. MTO will make no decisions on next steps for these types of trailers until their analysis is completed (OTA will be engaged in those discussions when they occur.  Based on current mileage accumulation, it is anticipated the 3.2 million km could be achieved by end of 2018).

Additional Information

Carriers interested in proposing additional semitrailer designs that could be considered for the trial are encouraged to reach out to the MTO’s contact for more information:

Alfonso Corredor

Senior Policy Advisor

Carrier Safety Policy Office

Carrier Safety and Enforcement Branch

125 Sir William Hearst Ave. 3^rd floor

Toronto, Ontario M3M 0B5

Phohe: 416-235-5275

Email: alfonso.corredor@ontario.ca

OTA will continue to keep members apprised of all developments on this file. OTA members with questions can contact operations&safety@ontruck.org