Published on: 03/09/2015

Since an announcement was first made in the 2014 Ontario Budget, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has been reviewing and developing a change proposal for how certain road-building machines (RBM) are classified under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA). A new RBM definition and list of equipment to be reclassified has not yet been finalized, as the MTO is continuing to work to find a way to distinguish between traditional types of RBMs built to operate on construction and maintenance right of ways and those built on truck chassis able to operate at highway speeds.

An initial MTO proposal was tabled to reclassify eight pieces of equipment and make them subject to standard vehicle rules under the HTA by April 1, 2016 (for more information, please click on the following link). This date has now been extended to a “softâ€Â￾ implementation of January 1, 2017, which will include one year of educational enforcement until the “hardâ€Â￾ implementation January 1, 2018, when fines will begin to be handed out for non-compliance. It is important to note that these dates have been announced without a new RBM definition or list of equipment to be reclassified.

RBMs are presently exempt from many obligations under the HTA, including: commercial vehicle operators registration (CVOR); motor vehicle insurance; fuel tax; limits to hours of service; emissions testing; and, vehicle weights and dimensions, among others.

If you have any questions or concerns with the information included in the attached analyses, please contact Patrick McManus (905-629-7766 ext. 222 or patrick.mcmanus@oswca.org).

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