Trucking Regulations in Canada! (Infographic)

Trucking Regulations

Per sheer physical size Canada is the world’s second largest country. Of course, in terms of population, Canada is also one of the least densely populated major nations. Though it’s not as if Canada is left with just a bunch of empty space that no one uses there are trucking regulations.

While there may not be large buildings, schools, houses and other structures built on a lot of the land, that doesn’t mean that the land is just sitting there empty. There are all sorts of train tracks and roadways that work and weave their way through the Canadian landscape, and this is because shipping freight is something that’s constantly happening in the nation.

In fact, judging on a global score, Canada’s freight ships more efficiently than any other nation, and a big part of that is because it’s regulated so well without being bogged down by useless regulations and interference from officials.

You might not think so at first, given how progressive Canada is, but their trucking companies, like Steele’s Transportation Group, aren’t caught up in red tape like so many other nations, especially their neighbor to the south.

There are multiple regulatory bodies that help to oversee the various freight companies in Canada, but they’re pretty much there just to enforce regulations, not to micromanage everything that goes on.

Here are the bodies overseeing Canada’s trucking industry and its truckers.

The National Safety Code

The National Safety Code is basically the main governing body of all things shipping in Canada. Canadian trucking regulatory agencies have come together to set guidelines, under the CCMTA, that would increase economic regulations and help with things like environmental and safety aspects, while also helping to boost efficiency and production.

Instead of one large governing body to deal with trucking in the nation, a variety of regulatory agencies came together to form the National Safety Code.

Known as the NSC, this regulatory body has been around since 1987 and all carriers in Canada are required to comply with the regulations set forth. All trucking companies in Canada, regardless of their province, must follow the regulations and guidelines laid out in the NSC.

These NSC laws worked with provincial laws in order to tailor rules and regulations that fell in line with each province, national standards, and even international regulations. The overseeing main body of the NSC is the Canadian Council of Motor Transportation, CCMTA.

Although there are dozens of rules and regulations within the NSC, there are only a few main goals.

1: To ensure uniform safety regulations and to enforce said regulations across all territories and provinces of Canada.

2: To enhance the safety of drivers and the safety of transportation in general.

3: To place a greater emphasis on safety regulations.

In totality, the rules and regulations are quite numerous. Though in principle, everything done under the NSC is to keep all drivers safe and to keep freight running efficiently.

Transportation in Canada

These days, air travel is the most regulated aspect of shipping in Canada. However, old-school freight shipping through trucking still makes up the greatest proportion of shipping in the nation, accounting for 35% of all the freight that moves through Canada and in and out of it. In terms of shipping, rail transport makes up the second spot, accounting for 9% of the shipping.

Air freight comes in at only 6% though obviously needs to be regulated more due to air traffic concerns. Though as can plainly be seen, the old trucking company is still the most reliable source of freight transportation in the nation. Big rigs hauling their loads are still seen out there by the thousands every single day. You’re likely to pass dozens of them on even short drives.

With so much freight being moved, it needs to be overseen, and there’s another overseeing body that assists in this, Transport Canada.

Transport Canada

Transport Canada is a federal body that works with a lot of partners, some of whom are private companies, to ensure that the NSC regulations are followed and also that other regulations and standards are maintained, such as economic and environmental standards. Transport Canada plays a large role in the licensing and certification process for most companies that are dealing in hauling freight. They’re not as large or as powerful as the CCMTA, but they are still very impactful.

No agency or company is able to run hauling freight in Canada unless they abide the regulations and standards of these overseeing bodies. To do so is in blatant violation of the law and will have a company fined and/or outright shut down.

Trucking regulations
Trucking regulations article and permission to publish here provided by Saaed Darwish. Originally written for Supply Chain Game Changer and published on January 27, 2021.