Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators
CCMTA Conference Report September 2023
The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) is an incorporated body that coordinates matters dealing with the administration, regulation and control of motor vehicle transportation and highway safety. Membership includes representation from provincial and territorial governments as well as the federal government of Canada. We’ve been active for over 80 years, as such, CCMTA has the breadth, depth and reach into the areas of efficient movement of people and goods and in the area of saving lives on Canada’s roads, while respecting jurisdictional autonomy to implement as appropriate. The NAACC is a long-time member of this group.
The 2023 CCMTA Conference was held July 17-18th. in St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador.
The conference was held over only 2 days this year as compared to previous conferences, which lasted 3 days. This shortened agenda only allowed attendance at one of the major committee meetings.
The NAACC delegate chose to attend the Drivers and Vehicles Committee meeting as that committee most reflected the issues of concern to the NAACC.
July 17th-Opening Ceremonies and Educational Session:
The opening session was simply a welcome by the CCMTA conference chair.
Educational Session:
Monday July 17th., consisted of opening ceremonies and a series of 4 educational sessions.
Session 1 -Road Safety-Working Together Through Collaboration and Innovation:
The presentation was given by Valerie Smith, president of the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals. The CARSP has a program called Parachute that provides resources for reducing transportation related injuries and fatalities.
Parachute focusses on developing road infrastructure that prevents such incidents.
In 2018, there were 1759 transportation-based fatalities in Canada and non-fatal injuries cost the healthcare system upwards of $15 million per day.
CARSP participates globally in road safety initiatives.
The global plan has set a goal of a 50% reduction in accidents by 2030, using a safe system approach. One such action is to encourage in a speed limit of 30 KPH where pedestrians are at risk of collisions.
In North America, the activities are centered on urban centres. They focus on active transportation and the protection of vulnerable persons.
Parachute has a website at https://parachute.ca/en/injury-topic/road-safety/.
It has links to resources to help attain their goals.
Session 2 -Insights from a Pilot of Virtual Driving Assessment:
This presentation was made by Bryce Doell of the Road Safety Division of Manitoba Public Insurance.
Basically, they looked at how a driving simulator pre-test reflected how those candidates fared on the actual driving test.
Of those taking the virtual test, 67% passed their road test, versus only 33% of those who did not take the virtual test.
Session 3 -Labour Market Challenges in Trucking:
This was a panel discussion on the challenges being faced by the trucking industry in Canada.
Members of the panel included representatives from Transport Canada, Trucking HR Canada, The Private Truck Council of Canada and the Canadian Trucking Alliance.
Information provided was as follows.
-70% of freight in Canada goes by truck
-760,000 employed in the industry including 300,000 drivers
Concerns expressed were as follows.
-looming shortage of drivers
-poor image of industry (drivers never home)
-mobility issues due to some provinces mandating Electronic Logging Devices
while others don’t
-driving not considered a trade, so student loans are not available for training
-underground economy with drivers paid under the table with no benefits
Training Grants:
Trucking HR Canada does have a program of $10,000.00 grants for new driver training and up to $10,000.00 grants for wage incentives.
Session 4 -Digital Transformation:
This again as a panel discussion on the digital transformation of services provides to clients by the various registries of motor vehicles, as well as other government agencies across Canada.
Participants included the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) and the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration.
Newfoundland and Labrador gave an updated on their transformation.
There has been a dramatic change in citizens using the on-line portals to interact with government. Usage has gone up 3000% from 2020 to 2021, mostly due to the pandemic lock-downs. But it shows no sign of slowing down.
The DIACC representative gave an overview of the services that their organization provides. Mention was made of both the Apple Wallet and Google Wallet as a way of ensuring proper authentication of the person holding the wallet on their smart phone.
The DIACC has a system called Voila to ensure the system had proper securities on it.
The Maryland Department of Transportation representative also stated that they were moving to a mobile drivers license and looking at both the Apple and Google wallet systems for storage of those documents..
Session 5 -Combatting Human Trafficking Through The Truck/Bus/Energy Industries:
Due to travel delays for the speaker, this presentation was given during the Drivers and Vehicles Committee time on July 18th.
The Truckers Against Trafficking group gave the presentations on combatting human trafficking.
The philosophy was that if truckers are made aware of the issues, they can recognize victims of human trafficking or human trafficking activities at truck stops.
Committee Meetings:
Note: -due to the compressed schedule at the conference, attendance at the following committee
meetings was not possible during this conference
-Compliance and Regulatory Affairs
-Road Safety Research and Policies
July 18th -Drivers and Vehicles Committee Meeting:
The Drivers and Vehicles Committee meeting was held on Wednesday July 18th..
Review of Priorities of the Committee:
A general overview of the committee priorities was presented.
Topics discussed were as follows:
-Competition motorcycles (Alberta)
-Immigrant driving tests (PEI) (Ont)
-Micromobility (Que)
-Immigrants (NS) (NB)
-E-Bikes (BC)
-Vehicle noise (Sask)
Update on WP.1 and WP.29:
There was some general discussion lead by Transport Canada on both standards
-WP.1 Road Safety (signs highway design etc.)
-WP.1 Automated Vehicles (being developed)
-WP.20 Vehicles Regulations
FMCSA Update:
This was an update on the activities of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in the USA. It affects Canadian operators due to cross-border shipping of freight. This update was lead by an FMCSA delegate.
-recording of violations
-truck leasing issues (predatory practices regarding truck leasing)
-Women in trucking
-Level III Inspections (trucks in motion)
-Automatic Emergency Braking
-passed by NHTSA
-will be required for vehicles over 16,000 lbs.
-no retrofitting required on older vehicles
-expected to be implemented on new vehicles in 2027-2028 model year
-Long-term goals
-speed limiting devices
-safety fitness determination
-automated driving
Micromobility Issues:
This discussion as brought forward by Quebec.
It involved the increased presence of both human-powered and electric powered non-registered person vehicles.
-powered versus non-powered scooters, such as sit down or stand -up versions
-E-Bikes
-Mobility scooters (4-wheel) as well as Segway types
-Equipment concerns, lights, reflectors, brakes
-concern over injuries
There was a concern over the rapid increase in numbers of these vehicles and also their speed capabilities in interaction with pedestrians. They are not currently required to be licensed and concerns over the lack of insurance requirements.
American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators:
AAMVA is very similar to the CCMTA as far as activities.
Representatives gave a general update on AAMVA activities.
The main topic of the AAMVA presentation was an overview of their Commercial Drivers License Test. The presentation gave a complete overview of the testing requirement including the “off-set back-up” test.
Maryland Department of Transportation:
Representatives of the Maryland Department of Transportation gave an update on the modernization of their contact center. They experienced a 48% drop in wait times by updating their customer portal.
Jurisdictional Issues:
This is just a roundtable discussion on what issue concerning these vehicles are on the table.
Newfoundland and Labrador:
-looking at the use of traffic cameras in certain locations
Quebec:
-looking at regulations for scooters and other personal transporters
Transport Canada:
-looking at putting all vehicle recalls on their website
Information Applicable to Nova Scotia Regulatory Updates:
In discussions with the representatives from Saskatchewan General insurance, the NAACC delegate was able to get several documents that may be applicable to regulations development for Nova Scotia.
One document concerned noise testing of vehicles.
The link to that document is given below.
The second document concerned the motor vehicle equipment regulations.
The link to that document is given below.http://www.qp.gov.sk.ca/documents/English/Regulations/Regulations/V2-1R10.pdf
Submitted by:
Conrad LeLièvre P.Eng. CRSP
NAACC Nova Scotia Director 11-Sept. 2023.