Big rigs will keep on rolling but at slower speeds, if Ontario has its way.

The province is on the road to becoming the first jurisdiction in Canada to require speed limiters for large trucks operating in its territory, including those from out of province or out of the country.

A speed limiter is a built-in microchip that allows a truck engine's top speed to be preset, which Ontario wants set at 105 km/h. Most trucks built in the last decade already come equipped with this technology.

The move toward legislation comes after intensive lobbying by the Toronto-based Ontario Trucking Association (OTA), whose member fleets operate more than two-thirds of all commercial tractor-trailers on Ontario roadways.

Speed limiters are also supported by the Ottawa-based Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), a federation of the seven Canadian provincial trucking associations, including Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan. The CTA represents approximately 4,000 motor carriers.

"The trucking industry is showing real leadership in supporting strong measures to eradicate speeding," says OTA president David Bradley. "Our drivers are professionals and we don't feel we need to use up scarce police resources catching speeding trucks when most trucks already come equipped with the technology to control speed."

Bradley notes that Quebec plans to use speed limiters as part of its climate-change plan. "They have not talked about legislation yet, perhaps they will," he says.

According to the CTA, speed limiters would result in annual fuel savings of 3,200 litres by reducing a typical truck's speed to 105 km/h from 110, or 10,500 litres if the truck used to drive at 120 km/h. The devices would also reduce greenhouse gases in Ontario by as much as 140 kilotonnes per year and result in a five-per-cent reduction in tire wear by going from 110 km/h to 105, while marginally increasing driving times.

Under Ontario's proposal, the cruise speed for most trucks will be set at no more than 100 km/h. But a cushion of up to five km/h will be allowed on the "pedal" speed to enable trucks to pass slower-moving vehicles and to make other precautionary manoeuvres as required.

Speed limiters are seen as a positive step by the Calgary-based Alberta Motor Transport Association, which is affiliated with the CTA.

"We support the idea of speed limiters for two major reasons," says executive director Mayne Root. "First, we believe fuel efficiency is extremely important in today's society. As you raise your speed, you raise your fuel consumption or make your fuel consumption less efficient.

"We also support it as all commercial vehicles should be going the same speed, so that one doesn't have an advantage over another for delivery times. This way, everybody is on the same playing field."

But while the OTA's Bradley is heartened to see that years of lobbying are about to pay off, there are speed bumps ahead.

Ontario Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield says the province will bring forward speed-limiter legislation in a timely manner. But to do this, the McGuinty government will have to be re-elected this fall as no legislative sessions are scheduled before the October provincial election.

"We're looking at early 2008 for this to take effect," says Jamie Rilett, Cansfield's director of communications.

"There's still more discussion needed with industry on the best way to implement this."

Rilett adds enforcement regulations also have to be finalized.

Concerns are being expressed about how speed limiters could affect international trade and commerce, issues that are part of a massive Transport Canada study being done in conjunction with Ontario and Quebec.

That study will use traffic-modelling techniques (looking at how speed limiters will affect traffic patterns) and study trade and competitiveness impacts. It will include case studies to quantify expected fuel savings and evaluate environmental effects, and will also review the Australian and European Union experience with speed limiters.

The study will also examine enforcement and tampering concerns with speed limiters. Transport Canada says Australia and the EU have found a tampering rate of about 30 per cent with the devices.

The study is expected to be completed in the spring of 2008, says Mark Schauerte, acting chief for motor carriers in Transport Canada's road safety and motor vehicle directorate.

"Our statistics show that the largest speeding problem on highways isn't with the trucks. That's true of every jurisdiction in the country," says Schauerte. "But they're held to a higher standard and the expectation of the public is that they be held to a higher standard."

However, the government of Ontario says it doesn't intend to wait for this latest study before it acts.

"There have been countless studies done on this. There becomes a point where it's incumbent for a transport minister to make a decision and that's what the minister did," says Rilett. "We're obviously going to look at anything they come out with, but there's always another study on the horizon."

As far as the OTA's Bradley is concerned - he is also the CEO of the CTA - Transport Canada's study might help other provinces make up their mind.

"But if we waited every time a bureaucrat is doing a study, nothing would ever get done," he says.

However, Joanne Ritchie, executive director of the Ottawa-based Owner-Operators Business Association of Canada (OBAC), which with its American counterpart the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) represent 3,500 Canadian members, says Ontario has the wrong target in its sights.

"Where there is speeding, especially around the Greater Toronto Area and in southern Ontario, it's not the trucks, it's a very poor enforcement of the law against those who are speeding," says Ritchie.

"We're certainly not condoning speeding, but fairly recent studies in Canada generally found that where there is speeding and everyone is going above the posted limit, trucks were five kilometres to seven kilometres per hour above the posted limit, while cars were 20 km/h to 40 km/h above the posted speed limit."

Both the OBAC and OOIDA oppose speed limiters. So does the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, which represents private fleet operators - fleets operated by companies whose principal business is other than transportation but choose to operate a truck fleet to further their business.

The OBAC says there are other effective speed-management options available to carriers, such as paying bonuses or increasing per-mile pay for compliant driving rather than resorting to speed-limiter legislation.

"Reduced fuel consumption is also achievable without government regulation," says Ritchie. "OBAC is a strong advocate of fuel conservation as a wise business choice. We support a number of initiatives that stress speed management and operational discipline as a means of conserving fuel, saving money and reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

Ritchie also notes 22 U.S. states and several Canadian provinces have speed limits higher than the 65 mph/105 km/h Ontario wants to set as its standard.

"By mandating speed limiters on trucks, Ontario would be usurping the authority of those other jurisdictions to determine the maximum speed limit for vehicles travelling on their highways," she adds.

Further, she says forcing heavy-duty trucks to drive slower than the flow of traffic while other vehicles on the road continue to speed, sometimes excessively, will lead to frequent lane changes, passing and weaving manoeuvres as well as tailgating by faster-moving vehicles.

"It is well established that the risk of crashes increases significantly as speed differentials increase, in both the negative and positive direction," says Ritchie.

"Indeed, safety is best served if all vehicles in the traffic stream travel at about the same speed."

(Laura Severs can be reached at laura@businessedge.ca)