As the first signs of spring emerge, our thoughts turn to highway pavement. Joking, most people don’t think about spring and road bans but, when ruts and potholes destroy your vehicle, you think about it. While they may not be top of mind for everyone, road bans are crucial for preserving infrastructure and preventing costly damage to vehicles and highways.
Why Do Road Bans Exist?
Road bans have been around for as long as roads themselves. In the past, springtime ruts and mud made roads impassable. Today, municipalities formally regulate road bans to protect highways from damage during the thaw cycle. Alberta, thanks to strong infrastructure investments, during the Premier Lougheed era, has an excellent highway system that requires diligent maintenance.
Here’s what happens during the freeze-thaw cycle:
Carrier Responsibilities & Training
Commercial carriers are legally required to train their drivers on weights and dimensions, including seasonal road bans, Alberta Regulation 314/2002 Section 41(1)(h)(i). While MELT (Mandatory Entry-Level Training) includes some instruction on road bans, it is minimal.
For example, MELT Module 6 in Alberta, provides only two and a half hours of classroom legal weights training, with just one and a half pages covering road bans. Compounding the issue, fraudulent licensing schemes in Ontario mean some drivers never received any training at all. The result? A significant number of undertrained drivers coming to destroy a road near you.
Spring Road Training: What Drivers Must Know
A spring road refresher is essential before bans take effect. Drivers must be aware of:
Understanding Road Ban Signs
At intersections of restricted and unrestricted roads, signs display a truck symbol with a percentage below it. This percentage represents the allowable weight on an axle for that road.
Example:
Some exemptions exist for farm commodities and emergencies, but they require permits and approvals from the appropriate authority and highway engineering.
Increased Enforcement & Penalties
Calgary city police have a budget shortfall of 28 million dollars due to the cancellation of the photo speed enforcement on all provincial highways thanks to Minister Dreeshan. Other cities and towns and municipalities are feeling the pinch of lack of funding and reduced revenues. One way to make up these shortfalls is to increase enforcement revenue from other areas and road bans are money makers. Enforcement traps are usually near highways with new restrictions or restrictions that have recently changed. Don’t assume just because it was a 90% ban last year it will be the same this year.
Avoid Costly Fines
Overweight penalties increase exponentially during road ban season. Fines can double compared to the rest of the year, and carriers risk accumulating points on their carrier profiles.
Stay Compliant: Drivers Plan Ahead
By staying informed and proactive, you can avoid hefty fines, protect your vehicles, and help maintain Alberta’s roads for everyone.
With 2024 in the rearview mirror, it’s time to cautiously look ahead to 2025, a year poised for changes in commercial transportation. Regardless of political affiliations, we can all agree that commercial transportation and driver safety demand urgent attention. While the first few months of the year may bring little change due to political transitions, the groundwork laid this year could shape the future of the industry. Here’s what I foresee for 2025.
Transport Canada, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA), and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) are all gearing up for potential shifts. A new federal transport minister will likely be appointed by summer, and their effectiveness will depend on their ambitions. A proactive minister could drive reforms, while a placeholder appointment might maintain the status quo.
The MTO’s search for an Assistant Deputy Minister, Commercial Transportation Safety and Enforcement, is a promising sign. Similarly, the CCMTA’s hiring of a Data Administration and Compliance Manager indicates that the long-standing issue of enforcement data transfer are finally being addressed. By mid-year, we may see serious discussions among these organizations about tackling industry challenges, including driver training school compliance and road safety.
This year will mark a shift in enforcement practices. The Alberta Sherriffs and Saskatchewan Marshalls are investing in new enforcement personnel. Alberta will have full trained 240 officers in commercial vehicle inspections by February. Weigh stations will be fully staffed, and temporary scales will see more blitzes. Enhanced patrols at US ports of entry and southern highways will further emphasize compliance.
Insurance companies will begin to leverage data from Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), in-cab cameras and Engine Control Modules (ECMs) to assess liability in accidents. By fall, compliance will no longer be optional—carriers with poor safety records will face mounting consequences, from tickets, increased insurance premiums to audits.
In August 2024, the CCMTA introduced draft revisions to ELD technical standards (version 1.3). Two key changes stand out:
While these updates address critical issues, the process of implementation will be lengthy. ELD providers must program their devices to meet the new standards, undergo testing, and achieve re-certification—a process that could take years. I predict in 2025 there will still be no interpretation guide or ELD monitoring policy from Alberta Transportation Compliance and Oversight but, administrative penalties to carriers will continue to be written for failing to monitor drivers ELDs.
The federal government’s tightening of Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) and Permanent Residency (PR) criteria this spring aims to control immigration. However, these changes won’t solve the immediate problem of untrained and inexperienced drivers. Canada needs a balanced approach that supports the drivers already in the system.
Instead of punishing drivers who were brought here through flawed programs, we should offer them legitimate MELT training, Driver Red Seal training and pathways to PR if they meet the other requirements. Enforcement efforts should focus on holding exploitative immigration brokers, driving schools, and trucking companies accountable. Government is sending mixed signals with regards to commercial drivers. Saskatchewan has a class 1 driver recruitment program that allows drivers from certain countries to drive on the class 1 licence of their home country in the agricultural sector. This is government talking out of both sides of its face, removing drivers and restricting immigration on one side but recruiting for drivers in the agriculture sector on the other side. Nothing is going to happen this year and expect the status quo for a couple of years.
Real progress in 2025 requires cooperation between federal ministries, provincial regulators, industry groups, and stakeholders. Leadership at every level must work collaboratively to develop a clear plan for reform. Change won’t happen overnight, but figuring out who is in charge is a first step. We are all in this together and we need accountability from our elected leadership for a safer and more efficient commercial transportation industry.
In the world of commercial transportation, safety is paramount. To ensure the safety of drivers and other road users, regulations and monitoring programs are essential. One such program is the National Safety Code (NSC), which sets standards for commercial vehicles, drivers, and motor carriers in Canada. This code, though not law, is crucial in guiding provincial and territorial governments in drafting their safety regulations. In Alberta, the regulations are outlined in the Commercial Vehicle Certificate and Insurance Regulation, AR 314/2002 (Part 4.1).
NSC Standard 7 is the criteria for carrier and driver profiles. The Carrier Profile system is designed to provide an overview of a carrier's safety performance, encompassing records of infractions, collisions, on-road inspections, and facility audits. This system allows Alberta to monitor carriers' performance and take action against those posing safety risks across North America.
The Carrier Profile acts as a report card for carriers, offering transparency to stakeholders like shippers, insurance companies, and the public. By accessing this information, stakeholders can make informed decisions about engaging with specific carriers, promoting safety and accountability within the industry.
However, there is a critical issue with the reliability of the Carrier Profile data. Despite its intended purpose, there is a significant flaw in data sharing between jurisdictions. Alberta is not accurately capturing enforcement data from other provinces. This oversight means that Alberta trucking companies involved in incidents outside the province may not have their records updated promptly or accurately on their Carrier Profiles.
The implications of this data discrepancy are concerning. Carriers with incomplete or delayed information may not face the necessary interventions or audits, leading to inaccuracies in their risk factor scores. This discrepancy could potentially result in carriers maintaining a clean record, qualifying for insurance discounts, and evading enhanced monitoring or audits due to inaccurate risk assessment.
Moreover, the shortcomings extend to the auditing process itself. TPA (Third Party Auditors) do not have encryption keys and cannot audit unencrypted RODS. TPA (Third Party Auditors) lack proper training, support, and communication channels with Alberta Transportation, leading to flawed audits that further impact safety compliance determinations. This systemic issue raises questions about the effectiveness and integrity of the safety oversight program in Alberta.
Despite federal funding allocated to enhance road safety and data exchange initiatives, the existing gaps in the Carrier Profile system highlight a critical need for improvement. The discrepancy between intended safety measures and operational shortcomings underscores the urgency for corrective actions and increased accountability within the transportation safety framework.
Why is Alberta Transportation allowed to continue a program that is fundamentally flawed? Why are taxpayers paying salaries to a leadership group to run a flawed program? This is just another example of government inertia that is allowed to continue unabated while bureaucrats collect taxpayer salaries to do a terrible job. As taxpayers and stakeholders invested in road safety, it is essential to demand transparency, efficiency, and accuracy in safety monitoring programs. Accountability and rectification of existing flaws are imperative to uphold the standards of safety and compliance in the commercial transportation industry.
In conclusion, the revelations regarding the Alberta Transportation safety monitoring system shed light on the need for reform and transparency in data sharing and auditing processes. By addressing these issues, we can ensure that carriers are held accountable, road safety is prioritized, and the integrity of safety compliance programs is maintained for the well-being of all road users.
