Highway Traffic Act

X

xwestcarriers

Site Supporter
Apr 17, 2008
349
0
16
10
Can anyone give me their thought on the below:

Vehicle dimensions Section 109

Maximum length of semi-trailer

(10) Subject to section 110, no semi-trailer shall have a length with an external measurement, excluding any portion of auxiliary equipment or machinery that extends beyond the front or rear of the semi-trailer and that is not designed or used for the transportation of goods, that exceeds 14.65 metres while on a highway. 1993, c. 34, s. 3 (2).
 
xwestcarriers said:
Can anyone give me their thought on the below:

Vehicle dimensions Section 109

Maximum length of semi-trailer

(10) Subject to section 110, no semi-trailer shall have a length with an external measurement, excluding any portion of auxiliary equipment or machinery that extends beyond the front or rear of the semi-trailer and that is not designed or used for the transportation of goods, that exceeds 14.65 metres while on a highway. 1993, c. 34, s. 3 (2).
Click to expand...


Yep everbody running 53 ft trailers is illegal just don,t tell them azzhats at the Putnam scale or we are all screwed.
 
but.....

(10.2) Despite subsection (10), a semi-trailer used in a combination of vehicles whose configuration, weight and dimensions are as prescribed by regulation may have a length with an external measurement, excluding any portion of auxiliary equipment or machinery that extends beyond the front of the semi-trailer and that is not designed or used for the transportation of goods, that does not exceed 16.2 metres while on a highway. 1993, c. 34, s. 3 (2).
 
Trailer lenght

I had a bad experience with the London On scale several years ago. I had an inspector pull over one of my units as he thought my tractor was too long to pull a 53ft trailer.
The maximum length of wheel base that can be used to pull a 53ft trailer is 244 inches. Hence what is a popular length in Canada.
My tractor had a 250" wheelbase which he noticed (good eyesight).
This led to two problems, the 1st being a fine for being over length.
The 2nd was that I coud not move that trailer with that tractor. I had to get another tractor to haul that trailer through Ontario back to Quebec.

I have been told that there are no special permits available to rectify the situation.

You can haul a 48ft trailer with a 280" wheelbase though. A stupid law since we now have those famous road trains where two 53 ft trailers are hooked up to a city tractor with a short wheelbase. What a great thought, lets make the road safer by having a short tractor try to hold back two trailers in the event of a Jacknife.

Where are the priorities , in the hands of the OTA ????

By the way Ontario is the only jurisdiction in North America that enforces that length law. I am Quebec based where this law also applies but is never enforced!!!!

Ya Ya for the OTA!!!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
What exactly does the OTA have to do with your tractor having too long of a wheelbase? Was this your first trip through Ontario? This law has been enforced for years so unless your tractor was built in the 60's and you have never been near Ontario you are the one to blame. Every jurisdiction has some laws that they enforce that other do not if you want to run with the big boys learn them and quit trying to blame someone else.
 
Lowmiler relax a little bit

The tractor is a 1994 Peterbilt, the wheel base is @ 250" . That said tractor plied the 401 weekly with a 53' dry box for at least 3 years before it was pulled over for the 1st time back in 2005. Much to our driver's and managements surprise.
The previous owner ran the tractor with a 51' trailer until we bought it in 2002, the length made this combination legal.
The tractor is still in operation and runs weekly troughout the eastern USA and Quebec. To this day it has never again been sited for being over length. The tractor simply goes around the province of Ontario in the rare occasion where we need it to go West.

Why I bring up the OTA is simply because the members seem and I stress the word seem to be concerned about safety, until greed comes into play. Road trains are profitable.
They are safe so far, god forbids, until one gets into some big accident harming lots of people. They simply do not have to be out there on our congested highways. The 401 and the highway 20 in Quebec are not the outback in Australia.


Furthermore, if safety was really a concern, they would allow longer wheelbased tractors to pull those combination vehicles making them safer.

Finally, I had communicated with the the transport ministry of Ontario and inquired on why they are the only jurisdiction enforcing the length related by law and I still await an answer!!!

Now that you have me going I shall send a formal letter!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
alx, I operate under the understanding that tractors built prior to 2005 (Vehicle Weight and Dimension Limits in Ontario - FAQ), are allowed to pull trailers up to 53' long, provided theirmaximum length does not exceed 23 metres. i personally operate a 272" wheelbase tractor pulling a 52' trailer that measures in at exactly 23 metres and have never been issued a citation in Ontario. I was measured in QC in December, and advised that as of 1/1/10 all trucks model year 1999 and earlier with a wheelbase greater than would require a permit to operate in QC. these permits are available as an annual permit, and the cost I was told was around $30/year.

I personally believe the Ontario wheelbase restrictions are arbitrary and make no sense safety wise, as I have been driving longer wheelbase tractors for upwards of 3 million km without incident, but no one asks for my input regarding the HTA and their rules in this regard.

I hope the link above helps you in fighting the ticket you received, and perhaps keeping a copy of the legislation regarding this in the tractor in question will help you avoid future tickets. Perhaps the well trained individuals in charge of "safety" (not revenue generation) at Putnam, are unaware, or choose to ignore this in hopes that you will pay up, and accept the OOS on your CVOR without disputing the charge.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom