The Ontario government is raising the speed limit permanently from 100 km/h to 110 km/h on 10 additional sections of provincial highways in northern and southern Ontario. The change builds on the safe and successful increase to six sections of provincial highways in 2022 and aligns with posted speed limits in other jurisdictions across Canada. “Most of Ontario’s highways were originally designed to safely accommodate speed limits of 110 km/h and the data from our changes in 2022 shows they do just that,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “These evidence-based increases are a ..read more

Volvo Trucks North America has announced a significant advancement in its sustainability efforts by fueling newly assembled trucks with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), a renewable fuel, as they depart from the Volvo Trucks New River Valley Assembly Operations (NRV) in Dublin, Virginia. This initiative is part of Volvo Trucks’ broader strategy to decarbonize the industry through a three-pillar approach: enhancing internal combustion engine (ICE) efficiency and drop-in renewable fuels to make the largest immediate emissions reductions while continuing to scale the Class 8 Volvo VNR Electr ..read more

Sales have officially started for the all-new Volvo VNL, a truck designed to change everything and set the new standard for the North American trucking industry in fuel efficiency, safety, sustainability, driver productivity, connectivity, and customer uptime, bringing unprecedented customer value to fleets and owner operators. Since the announcement of the all-new Volvo VNL in January, dealerships have been participating in extensive competency development, with e-learning and in-person instructor-led courses from Volvo Trucks Academy, to be fully trained to supp ..read more

The Ontario government is moving ahead with the largest GO train service expansion in more than a decade, adding more than 300 trips per week on the Milton, Lakeshore West, Lakeshore East, Kitchener and Stouffville lines. The 15 per cent increase in weekly trips will give commuters more choice to get where they need to go faster. “As part of our work to get it done on the largest public transit expansion in North America, our government is adding hundreds of additional GO train trips each week for communities across the GTA,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Today’s announcement, along with our recent ..read more

With the possible migration of people heading out on roads and waterways on April 8, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is encouraging residents and tourists to make road and boat safety a top priority when travelling to take part in solar eclipse events.   Drivers travelling to attend solar eclipse events should be prepared for delays in getting to and from their destination and are reminded to exercise caution and patience. Be sure to check local community news/websites for advisories and other information relating to traffic management (i.e. detours, parking, etc.). Other safety ..read more

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-led Provincial Auto Theft and Towing (PATT) Team and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) have recovered 598 vehicles before they were illegally exported as part of Project Vector. The CBSA regularly works with the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and Équité Association to search sea containers suspected of containing stolen vehicles. Approximately 75 per cent of vehicles recovered from sea containers in Montréal are identified as stolen in Ontario. PATT and CBSA collaborated with the SQ, SPVM and Équité Association ..read more

Investigators with the York Regional Police Hold-Up Unit have charged four people after two stolen vehicles were recovered following a carjacking in the City of Markham. On Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at 5 p.m., a carjacking occurred along the westbound lanes of Highway 407 at Woodbine Avenue. A suspect attended a Mercedes Benz dealership in Markham under the guise that he wished to test drive a vehicle. The suspect provided what appeared to be a valid driver’s licence and went for the test drive with the victim in a Mercedes GLE SUV. While on Highway 407, the suspect began pulling over while dema ..read more

Pride Group, one of the country’s major trucking carriers, has sought bankruptcy protection following a $100 million lawsuit filed by lender Mitsubishi HC Capital America. The company filed for creditor protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA), granting it a 10-day stay of proceedings. In a news release, Pride Group explained that this step was taken to initiate CCAA proceedings and seek recognition under Chapter 15 cases. Their goal is to maintain current operations, stabilize the business, establish governance controls, and develop a restructuring plan for the benefit ..read more

The Ontario government is introducing proposed legislation through its spring 2024 Budget that would, if passed, extend the existing gasoline and fuel tax rate cuts until December 31, 2024. “With the federal government about to increase its costly carbon tax, it’s never been more important to provide relief at the pumps and put hundreds of dollars back into peoples’ pockets. That is why we are extending our gas tax cut,” said Premier Doug Ford. “I urge the federal government to join us by scrapping its planned 23 per cent carbon tax hike on April 1, which will only make life more expensive for ..read more

The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) has introduced its new Taking the Stage leadership and mentorship program for women within the trucking industry. The program is designed as a platform to allow women to connect and engage and continue developing leadership skills while simultaneously strengthening the future leadership of our sector. This program is custom designed and facilitated by The Humphrey Group, which has run OTA’s Next Generation Program for a decade. The program will provide a purpose-built space for women to come together to enhance their leadership skills, and allow ..read more