OTTAWA, Canada -- After a slow and somewhat rocky start, all provinces now recognize the new Canadian hours-of-service rules for commercial drivers that officially went into effect at the first of the year.

The more stringent rules apply to all federally regulated motorcoach and trucking companies operating in Canada. And that means U.S. buses crossing into Canada must fully comply as well. Soft enforcement continues until July 1, giving operators time to become familiar with the changes.

David Carroll, director of safety and maintenance for the Ontario Motor Coach Association and Motor Coach Canada, says the most significant change affecting bus companies and tour operators is a 16-hour cap on a drivers work shift.

Under the old Canadian rules and current U.S. rules, a work shift could be 20 hours or more, Carroll said.

"Previously, the driver could start at 6 a.m., not do a lot of driving, maybe wait several hours at a casino, and there was nothing to shut him or her down," Carroll explained. "With the new rules in Canada, there is a continuously ticking clock. The instant the driver goes on shift the clock keeps ticking until the end of the 16th hour and then he can no longer drive. The driver cant get home."

The big impact is on charters that perhaps make two or three pickups en route to a venue, taking longer to reach their destination, Carroll says.

Now, a typical shift could start at 6 a.m. and at 10 p.m., thats it for the driver until 6 a.m. the next day. "Thats the biggest adjustment bus companies and tour operators have to make," Carroll says.

There is a service reset provision. If a driver has eight consecutive hours off duty, the 16-hour shift clock starts again. That scenario is possible at an all-day hockey tournament or other event where the driver is considered off duty for eight consecutive hours, Carroll says.

Another big change is a mandatory 24-hour break that must occur once in the preceding 14 days.

"A driver will have to show a roadside enforcement officer that he or she had a 24-hour break in the preceding 14 days," said Carroll. "Drivers coming into Canada from the U.S. must comply. They must carry 14 days of log sheets. Thats very important. In the U.S., they only need eight days of log sheets. This has an important impact on U.S. operators."

The 24-hour break rule even applies to drivers who only drive two or three hours a day.

"Its quite an arbitrary law and in my opinion has no basis in science," said Carroll. "Its more of a social agenda of government rather than a safety issue."

Canada, which based its rules on USDOT regulations, hadnt made changes since they were adopted in the mid-1980s.

"In the mid-1990s, there was a general public perception that commercial vehicle drivers were suffering from fatigue at the wheel," Carroll says.

"The perception was directed more at trucking rather than buses. Some truckers were driving 108 hours a week. That was the trigger, and the bus industry was collateral damage."

The Canadian government treats bus and truck operators the same, unlike the U.S. government.

Another change involves third-party culpability, making the user of a service equally responsible for a violation.

"This has the attention of tour operators," Carroll says. "If it can be proven that a parent, a chaperone, a teacher or a tour director pressured a driver to break the rules, they can be charged. In the U.S., only the carrier and driver can be charged. Bus operators welcome this, but for tour operators its an extra burden of becoming familiar with the rules."

Carroll says the new rules will cost operators money. Some charter tours will have to add a second driver, and some itineraries may have to change to be completed within the new time frame. Also, intercity carriers may have to change timetables and take into consideration driver layovers, he says.

Earlier there was talk that some provinces werent ready to adopt the new rules, with Quebec indicating it might not be ready until Feb. 1, New Brunswick on March 1, and Alberta wouldnt apply the rules to intra-provincial carriers.

"The new rules are in place," said Carroll. "Where the confusion lies is in individual provinces and territories. Only Ontario has introduced provincial regulations, and the other provinces will bring in provincial regulations over the next few months. Other than that, the situation has been pretty cleared up and is running."

Regarding enforcement, police agencies in each province are taking an educational approach for the first few months.

"Generally they are not charging anyone when they discover a violation," Carroll says. "But they retain the right to exercise discretion if the violation is habitual or if someone is grossly out of compliance. If they find someone is not in compliance with the older rules, they will not turn a blind eye to hours-of-service compliance."

Carroll says his organization has shifted from lobbying and contesting the new rules to preparing its members to comply through education, outreach and training materials. About 6,000 bus driver handbooks with the new rules have been sold in Canada, and some have been sold in the United States as well, Carroll says.

"Most carriers are reporting making the changes, but theyre not all happy about it," said Carroll.