April, 1999

SGI introduces two new safety programs for commercial truckers

Imagine a country with 12 provinces and territories, and 13 sets of regulations for a single industry. This was the reality of the trucking industry in Canada until recent changes were put forward by the federal and provincial governments.

The National Safety Code (NSC) was developed by the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, a body made up of representatives from the trucking industry, all provincial and territorial governments, as well as the federal government.

"The NSC was established with two goals in mind, firstly to protect the public from unsafe operators, and to enable the free flow of goods across the country," said Alan Cockman, Vice President of the Saskatchewan Auto Fund. "Previously, jurisdictions across the country focused primarily on economic regulations, while current efforts aim to put the safety of the public as the top priority."

The NSC aims to ensure that all commercial carriers in Canada are operating safely, which will be accomplished through the Carrier Profile system and the Compliance Review program - two safety programs that operate based on the standards set out in the NSC.

"The Saskatchewan Trucking Association wholly supports initiatives like these that improve road safety. The new programs will address the issue of road safety in the trucking industry not only in Saskatchewan, but also across Canada. The vast majority of commercial truckers in our association are safe operators, but we do recognize this will be a change for some," said Jim Friesen, General Manager of the Saskatchewan Trucking Association.

Effective July 1, 1999, Saskatchewan NSC truckers will be monitored through a Carrier Profile system that will be maintained by the Motor Transport Services branch of the Saskatchewan Auto Fund. These profiles will keep information on carrier convictions, at-fault accidents, on-road vehicle inspections, and facility audits.

SGI assigns NSC demerit points for each infraction recorded on the Carrier Profile. Each carrier is given a maximum number of points, based on the number of trucks they have in their fleet and how their fleet compares to others of a similar size. Truckers with poor safety records will face penalties based on the number of points accumulated on the carrier's record over a two-year period.

In the event that a carrier reaches or exceeds their maximum number of demerit points allowed in a specific area or in all of the areas combined, SGI will place the carrier into the Compliance Review program - a four-stage process of increasingly severe sanctions designed to improve the carrier’s on-road performance.

CAA's Manager of Public and Government Affairs, Maureen Murray, says new safety programs for Saskatchewan carriers will be good news to the majority of CAA members and motorists in general.

"Most of our members and motorists in general are concerned about safety in the trucking industry. Addressing the issue of road safety in this area is a very positive step. And we're sure that Saskatchewan motorists will be pleased to know there are serious consequences for carriers with unsafe road practices," said Murray.

Truckers who do not comply with the programs could lose their privilege to operate vehicles in Saskatchewan. All sanctions imposed by SGI can be appealed to the Highway Traffic Board. As well, all Highway Traffic Board decisions can be appealed to the Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench.

"We are confident that these new programs will help SGI meet its goals of saving lives and improving the safety of our roads," said Cockman. "We believe that by implementing this more defined safety program, carriers will be encouraged to maintain high safety standards. And those who have consistently poor safety records will be disciplined accordingly."

For more information, contact:
Tim Choulak
Manager, Motor Transport Services
SGI
Regina
(306) 775-6661

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