Two Canadian Provinces to Harmonize Truck Rules

Canada’s Alberta and Saskatchewan provinces have signed a memorandum of understanding to write uniform trucking regulations on everything from weight limits to driver training.

Work is already under way in both ministries of transportation, officials said, and the first rule to be harmonized will be the weight limit for B-trains (a semi with two trailers).

The limit will be Alberta’s 63,500 kilograms, or just under 140,000 pounds.  Saskatchewan’s limit now is only 62,500 kilograms, or about 138,000 pounds.

Also, uniform rules for long combination vehicles known as turnpike doubles are likely to be issued within a couple months, officials said.

Others areas where the provinces will seek uniformity include regulations for oversize and overweight indivisible loads and special permits for moving manufactured homes.

The memorandum also calls on the provinces to develop an inter-provincial heavy haul-high clearance corridor and a joint research and pilot project to address the impact on pavement of wide-based super single tires.

By Michele Fuetsch
Staff Reporter