The government of Ontario has resurrected a plan to make speed limiters mandating maximum mandatory truck speeds at about 65 miles per hour in the province, according to the Ontario trucking Association, which backs the plan.
The mandate would cap big-rig speeds at 105 kilometers per hour, which translates to about 65.2 mph, was put forth by the provincial Transportation Ministry, OTA said.
A speed limiter is an electronic microchip that has been installed on virtually every new heavy truck engine built since the mid-1990’s and when set, acts as a “speed governor,” OTA said.
The activation of speed limiters has been mandated in the European Union for well over a decade and, according to OTA, at least half of the trucks currently operating on Ontario’s highways have activated their speed limiters.
Quebec passed similar legislation late last year and is expected to coordinate implementation with Ontario, OTA said.
Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments last year were jointly studying the idea of requiring speed limiters on heavy-duty trucks.
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