Tweet

Jul 11, 2007 8:14 AM

A new Canadian National Safety Code (NSC) standard for commercial vehicle daily inspections has begun to have a tangible effect across Canada, according to information from the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA).

Saskatchewan, which has already implemented the new standard and subsequent enforcement. Ontario’s regulation also is in effect while a period of educational enforcement will continue until the end of the year. The other provinces will follow in the months to come.

Those provinces that do not yet have the new rules in place have agreed to accept use of the updated standard, so that drivers will not need to comply with different rules when crossing provincial borders.

CTA said that despite this rather uneven start, carriers and drivers should see real benefits from the new regulations. Whereas the old requirements provided only vague guidance on exactly what is a defect and what a driver should do about it, the new approach allows drivers to conduct detailed inspections, and gives them specific vehicle defects to look for.

The defect list indicates when a vehicle is safe to operate, or when it must be repaired before it can get on the road. Operations and maintenance staff will use the same criteria to determine vehicle status, CTA said.