ONTARIO - Canada is adopting new hours of service rules for over-the-road buses and trucks, and Motor Coach Canada is gearing up to orient coach operators on the revamped regulations.
The rules changes, which have been brewing for eight years, will be implemented next year.
"Operators should work on the basis the new rules will be in place by late 2006 and develop tour itineraries accordingly," said Brian Crow, president of Motor Coach Canada. "Motorcoach companies need to work on this basis to be able to quote tour companies or charter operators."
Crow noted, for example, that "the new rules could mean that two drivers are required on some tours or that a tour itinerary will have to have a down day' to allow the driver 24 hours of rest every 15 days."
Among other things, the new hours-of-service regulations, which were approved by the provinces and the Canadian government:
· Increase the minimum daily off-duty period by 25 percent from 8 hours to 10 hours;
· Require that no fewer than 8 of the hours of off-duty time be taken consecutively, with the additional 2 hours to be taken in increments of no less than a half hour;
· Reduce the daily maximum driving time by 18.8 percent from 16 hours to 13 hours;

· Reduce the daily maximum on-duty time by 12.5 percent from 16 hours to 14 hours, of which no more than 13 hours can be on-duty driving time;
· Eliminate the option to reduce the off-duty time from 8 hours to 4 hours;
· Increase the minimum rest period for co-drivers using a sleeper berth from 2 hours to 4 consecutive hours;
· Permit within defined parameters, the averaging of on-duty and off-duty time over a 48-hour period;
· Reduce the number of available work/rest cycles from three to two: a maximum 70-hour cycle over 7 days and a maximum 120-hour cycle over 14 days;
· For drivers who wish to switch or reset cycles, requiring a minimum of 36 consecutive hours off-duty before "resetting the clock to zero" for the 70-hour cycle and a minimum of 72 consecutive hours off-duty for the 120-hour cycle; and
· Require a minimum 24-hour off-duty period, at least once every 14 days for all drivers.
Additionally, the new rules have a shipper responsibility provision. No motor carrier, shipper, consignee or other person shall request, require or allow a driver to drive and no driver shall drive if:
· The driver's faculties are impaired to the point where it is unsafe for the driver to drive;
· Driving would jeopardize or be likely to jeopardize the safety or health of the public, the driver or the employees of the motor carrier;
· The driver is the subject of an out-of-service declaration; or
· The driver, in doing so, would not be in compliance with these Regulations.
Beginning in November, Motor Coach Canada will conduct a series of seminars to educate coach and tour operators on the new rules and is developing an orientation booklet, as well. The first session will be at Motor Coach Canada's Connections West annual meeting in Vancouver. Subsequent sessions will be in Halifax and Winnipeg. A session or two in the U.S. also is being discussed.
David Carroll, who represented Motor Coach Canada and the industry at the numerous meetings leading up to the new rules, said the major changes in the new rules really need to be understood by the operators.
"While the changes are significant, we believe that operators with knowledge of the new rules will be able to generally work the rules into their existing itineraries without a major impact on the tour," added Crow.
Motor Coach Canada is the voice of private-sector bus operators, inter-city bus lines, charter and coach tour companies in Canada. For more information, go to www.motorcoachcanada.com.