September 15, 2014
Reminder: MTO circle check required on commercial vehicles
The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) requires all owners of Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMV) to complete a formal circle check of their vehicles and attached trailers every 24 hours.
The MTO defines a CMV as a truck or tractor with a registered gross weight or an ‘actual weight’ of more than 4,500 kg (9,920 lbs.). This means the weight of the truck or tractor only, which may include weight transferred to it by an attached trailer.
Details are set out in Regulation 575, which explains, “No person shall drive a CMV unless the person has inspected the CMV within the previous 24 hours.”
The purpose of daily vehicle inspection is to ensure the early identification of problems and defects before the vehicle is operated on the highway.
Upon completion of the inspection, the inspector must fill out a simple inspection report stating:
• motor vehicle make
• the number plate or unit number of the truck, bus or tractor
• the number plates or unit numbers of any trailers towed by the truck, bus or tractor
• date and time of the inspection
• name and signature of the person who carries out the inspection
• list of the items required to be inspected (defined in Schedules 1 and 2)
• any safety defects of the items referred to in clause (f) disclosed by the inspection.
While the regulation states that the driver must forward the completed inspection report to the person responsible for the CMV, an MTO spokesperson advises that the completed inspection report be kept in the CMV. The trip inspection report must be produced upon demand if either the police or Ministry of Transportation inspectors stop the vehicle. At the end of the day, the completed inspection report can be removed from the vehicle and filed. Inspection reports are to be kept for three months.
If a CMV is used for personal errands during off hours, the driver is still required to fill out a trip inspection report, if one has not been completed during the past 24 hours.
For complete information about the rules and regulations covering trip inspections, contact your local Ministry of Transportation office. A form may be found at http://gfl.me/x2ez.
At a recent Landscape Ontario Human Resource Committee meeting the suggestion was made to start a MTO Reporting Hotline on the Landscape Ontario
LinkedIn Group.
LO executive director Tony DiGiovanni says, “The hotline will give us documented real-life experiences that can be used for government relations purposes. Often enforcement activities are overly aggressive. We can use this information to effect change.”
He went on to say that by sharing the exact location and specific charge, it will help others learn about and comply with complex regulations.
The MTO defines a CMV as a truck or tractor with a registered gross weight or an ‘actual weight’ of more than 4,500 kg (9,920 lbs.). This means the weight of the truck or tractor only, which may include weight transferred to it by an attached trailer.
Details are set out in Regulation 575, which explains, “No person shall drive a CMV unless the person has inspected the CMV within the previous 24 hours.”
The purpose of daily vehicle inspection is to ensure the early identification of problems and defects before the vehicle is operated on the highway.
Upon completion of the inspection, the inspector must fill out a simple inspection report stating:
• motor vehicle make
• the number plate or unit number of the truck, bus or tractor
• the number plates or unit numbers of any trailers towed by the truck, bus or tractor
• date and time of the inspection
• name and signature of the person who carries out the inspection
• list of the items required to be inspected (defined in Schedules 1 and 2)
• any safety defects of the items referred to in clause (f) disclosed by the inspection.
While the regulation states that the driver must forward the completed inspection report to the person responsible for the CMV, an MTO spokesperson advises that the completed inspection report be kept in the CMV. The trip inspection report must be produced upon demand if either the police or Ministry of Transportation inspectors stop the vehicle. At the end of the day, the completed inspection report can be removed from the vehicle and filed. Inspection reports are to be kept for three months.
If a CMV is used for personal errands during off hours, the driver is still required to fill out a trip inspection report, if one has not been completed during the past 24 hours.
For complete information about the rules and regulations covering trip inspections, contact your local Ministry of Transportation office. A form may be found at http://gfl.me/x2ez.
At a recent Landscape Ontario Human Resource Committee meeting the suggestion was made to start a MTO Reporting Hotline on the Landscape Ontario
LinkedIn Group.
LO executive director Tony DiGiovanni says, “The hotline will give us documented real-life experiences that can be used for government relations purposes. Often enforcement activities are overly aggressive. We can use this information to effect change.”
He went on to say that by sharing the exact location and specific charge, it will help others learn about and comply with complex regulations.