Published on: 13/03/2015

On March 10th and 11th the MTO hosted public consultations in Toronto and North Bay on its proposal to revise the definition of what a Road Building Machine (RBM) is under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA). Based on its initial consultation presentation, the expectation is that the new system will be in place by April 1, 2016. An exact definition change is not yet available but will be soon.

The initial proposition is to remove the following pieces of heavy equipment from the list of Road Building Machines under the Highway Traffic Act:

• Mobile Cranes • Sewer Cleaners

• Stone Slingers • Paint Trucks

• Hydrovacs • Vacuum Trucks

• Street Sweepers (3-wheeled Pelican sweepers exempt) • Water Trucks

As a result of this change, the above list of equipment would now be subject to the following rules and regulations:

• Commercial Vehicle Operators Registration (CVOR);

• Vehicle Registration;

• Motor Vehicle Insurance (as opposed to public liability insurance);

• Tax-included Fuel;

• Annual Safety Inspections;

• Limits to Hours of Service;

• Vehicle Weights and Dimensions; and,

• Emissions Testing, among others.

These changes are not yet finalized, as the MTO is working through its consultation process to better understand the impact of these changes. The initially proposed timeline of April 1, 2016 is not set in stone and is likely to be in flux during the consultation process.

More information on the change proposal, please see the attached Powerpoint presentation from the MTO.

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