ONTARIO Starting July 1, motorcoach and bus operators in Ontario and Saskatchewan will begin complying with more stringent pre-trip inspection regulations.

The new vehicle condition rules have been approved at the national level but each Canadian province and territory must create its own regulations that adhere to the new standards.

Saskatchewan was the first to comply, followed by Ontario. Between July 1 and Dec. 31, both Saskatchewan and Ontario have adopted soft-enforcement policies, or what is called educational enforcement.

Beginning Jan. 1, however, full-out enforcement of the rules becomes the order of the day in two provinces.

Mantioba is expected to be the next province to begin enforcement with the others following so that most jurisdictions should have rules implemented by the fall. British Columbia may not get it done until early next year, though.

It is unclear at this point when, if, or how the rules will be applied to U.S. buses operating in Canada.

'The 13 provinces and three territories of Canada are still looking into the matter of how U.S. coaches and drivers will be treated,' reports David Carroll, director of safety and maintenance at Motor Coach Canada and the Ontario Motor Coach Association.

Lobbying for U.S. operators

'We, along with our friends representing trucking interests, are encouraging governments to adopt a policy to accept U.S. paperwork (vehicle condition reports) in lieu of meeting the paperwork requirements of the new Canadian regulations,' said Carroll. 'Were hopeful this will fly, but still don't know for sure'.

'However, even if the paperwork acceptance policy does go through, if a defect is present (any minor or major defect thats listed on the new daily vehicle inspection schedule) the driver and or carrier can be charged with operating a vehicle with a defect. We think this is a reasonable approach,' Carroll added.

The new pre-trip inspection requirements replace old rules that were vague. Under the previous standards, drivers had to complete and carry inspection reports but they didnt specifically say what drivers should look for.

Under the revisions, drivers will have to prove they have inspected specific parts of a coach. The new rules are very clear on when a vehicle can and cannot be operated according to roughly 75 different defective conditions listed under nearly two dozen general inspection areas.

Within each inspection area a driver will be required to look for specific problems which are divided into minor and major defective conditions.

If the driver finds minor problems, he or she has to write them down, but they can continue to operate the coach as long as the carrier addresses the problems at some point. If the problems are major, a coach cannot be operated until the problem is fixed.

The new Canadian standards are largely aligned with the North American out-of-service criteria adopted by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. So, any defects found by a Canadian inspector would be the same as those that would put a coach out of service in the U.S.

Now the confusion

Still, says Carroll, there are differences. For example, a 'leaking tire' is categorized as a 'minor defect' that drivers will record on the trip inspection report. But if the coach was stopped for a CVSA Level One Inspection, a leaking tire is an out-of-service defect.

'There are a few other examples as well, but we don't see this as a serious concern,' said Carroll.

The new Canadian standards have different provisions for trucks and buses. 'Schedule 2' is for buses, including motorcoaches.

However, there is an option for motorcoach drivers to use Schedule 3, instead of 2, which excuses the driver from having to sign off on the condition of the underbody components.

'This option was developed at the request of the motorcoach industry in view of the driver safety concerns and accessibility issues with low-sided, air-ride coaches,' said Carroll. Its just not safe or practical for drivers to crawl underneath the coach.

'But the catch is a coach that is inspected using Schedule 3 (no underbody component inspection) must have been inspected in the previous 12,000 kilometers or 30 days, whichever comes first by a licensed mechanic while the coach is over a pit or on a hoist or ramps. The driver must carry a copy of that inspection report, which is called a Schedule 4 Underbody Inspection," Carroll explained.

Few complaints

So far, according to Carroll, there has not been much grumbling from operators that the new rules will require more driver training or additional time for drivers to do the inspections.

In reality, says Carroll, if drivers and operators were doing proper pre-trip inspections previously, theyll be fine with the new rules which more precisely identify inspection items and schedules.

'Where we hear some grumbling is from carriers over the additional hoist time and mechanic's hours as a result of the optional two-stage program for motorcoaches,' said Carroll.

In the end, 'the new approach is a vast improvement over what we had,' according to Carroll. 'It will help drivers make informed judgments on their own if a defect is minor (record it and proceed) or major and the bus is out of service.'