Ontario Bill Expands MTO Truck Enforcement Powers and Launches Training Review

In May 2024, Ontario introduced legislation to give Ministry of Transportation enforcement officers more power over trucks and to launch a review of how commercial drivers are trained. The government tabled the Safer Roads and Communities Act on May 16, 2024, according to its news release and backgrounder. The bill also targeted impaired driving, stunt driving, auto theft and e-bike safety.

More powers for MTO officers

The bill would increase the authority of Ministry of Transportation Enforcement Officers (TEOs), who run the province's commercial vehicle enforcement program. Under the proposal, TEOs could:

• exceed posted speed limits for enforcement purposes;
• require traffic to pull over for MTO enforcement vehicles when lights and signals were flashing;
• seize fraudulent or suspended driver's licences.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said in the release that one in five road fatalities in Ontario involved large trucks.

A review of commercial driver training

Alongside the bill, the government said it would lead a comprehensive review of commercial driver training to identify gaps and areas for improvement. The review was to include provincewide stakeholder roundtables to gather industry and public feedback on improving road safety.

The Ontario Trucking Association welcomed both parts. Its president, Stephen Laskowski, was quoted in the government release applauding the proposed changes and the industry discussions. In its own statement, the association said its board had emphasized the need to raise the bar for commercial driver training and licensing, and that it wanted to see changes to training and oversight take place over 2025. The association also said it would work with ministry officials on information sharing and joint roadside operations with labour officials and other agencies.

Other measures in the bill

The broader bill proposed:

• escalating licence suspensions for people convicted of motor vehicle theft, starting at 10 years for a first conviction and rising to a lifetime suspension for a third;
• minimum mandatory suspensions for stunt driving convictions of one year, three years and then life;
• a lifetime licence suspension for anyone convicted of alcohol- or drug-impaired driving causing death;
• powers to sort e-bikes into classes, for example by maximum weight or speed, with different operator and vehicle rules for each.

Status

The legislation was a bill when it was introduced, and its measures would apply only if it passed and the relevant provisions came into force. The training review was described as a plan, with no changes to licensing requirements announced at the time.

Archive: this article describes rules and events as of May 2024. Regulations may have changed since, so check the current rule before relying on it.