Ontario to Allow Double 53-Foot Trailers on Some Roads in 1-Year Pilot Program

This story appears in the April 27 print edition of Transport Topics.

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation said it will begin issuing permits this summer allowing double, 53-foot trailers on selected highways in the province.

Under the yearlong pilot program, the combined weight of the trailers cannot exceed the existing weight limit for single trucks in Canada — which is 140,000 pounds or 63,500 kilograms.

The doubles will not be allowed to operate between December and February and can run only on multilane highways. Ontario now allows double trailers but only with a combined length of less than 60 feet.

Longer combination vehicles are “good for the manufacturers and consumers,” the Ministry of Transportation said in a statement. “They allow Ontario retailers and manufacturers to bring voluminous, lightweight goods to market at a lower cost.”

LCVs use “less fuel to carry goods, LCVs reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with shipping goods by approximately one-third” and they have excellent safety records, “with fewer collisions reported than single-trailer trucks,” the transportation ministry said.

Doug Switzer, vice president for public affairs for the Ontario Trucking Association, said LCVs are critical for manufacturers and freight firms in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

“The auto sector is very important in Ontario, [as is] the ability to move auto parts more efficiently,” Switzer said. “These days, with the way the auto sector is going, any advantage you can get is worth getting.”

Though there has long been opposition to LCVs in both Ontario and the United States, Switzer said fuel prices, climate change and the economic recession have given the idea of larger trucks a boost.

“I have to say, in some respects, it’s a reaction to the current economic crisis that has got our government looking aggressively at things that they can do to help support the economy,” Switzer said.

Studies show that along the highways running from Quebec through Ontario to the United States border at Windsor, 5% to 10% of regular truck trips could easily become LCV loads, he said.

For several reasons, however, LCVs from Ontario cannot cross the border into the United States.

“The connect to the U.S. system is something that’s going to, we hope, come in time because . . . cross-border trade would be great if we can do it,” Switzer said. “At this point, though, I’m not so sure there’s too many opportunities for doing that.”

There is no bridge at the Windsor-Detroit border crossing, for example, that can accommodate 53-foot doubles. Also, in the United States, each state has different weight and trailer length regulations.

Michigan, for instance, does not allow double 53-foot trailers on its highways.

Large doubles of varying lengths run on some Western highways and on turnpikes through some Midwestern states such as Indiana and Ohio.

American Trucking Associations has said it would like to see the federal government promote more uniformity among states, particularly on the national highway system.

“Trucks have to take a circuitous route, sometimes 100 miles additional travel, because of the restrictions on some routes,” said Darrin Roth, ATA’s director of highway operations.

In New York state, trucking firms would welcome larger tandems, said Kendra Adams, executive director of the New York State Motor Truck Association.

“We would like to see things move to the 53-foot, which is the industry standard now,” she said, adding that trucking firms in her area are stuck with the 48-foot tandem trailers.

Turnpike doubles consisting of two 48-foot trailers are the largest allowed on the New York State Thruway, as well as on the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Land Air Express of New England, Williston, Vt., runs 48-footers on both roadways, said Mac Savage, the carrier’s vice president of operations.

“We certainly would take advantage of that if the laws were changed to allow 53-foot trailers,” Savage said.