Semi truck weights and measures are a difficult thing to keep track of especially in Canada where there are no standards across the country. A lack of compliance with these laws is expensive for both tractor trailer drivers and carriers. In Ontario, fines start at $300, and fines for 10,000 kgs overweight can be as high as $1,000, plus the damage done to a CVOR/CSA. Now a mobile-friendly website has been launched that helps to make it clear exactly what Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) trucks can be licenced for, and axle weights across both the US and Canada.
The creator of www.BigTruckGuide.com, Paul Jakubicek, talks about why the website was created: “I drove a truck for many years and found it difficult to find information on legal gross and axle weights. So I assembled data about the most common vehicle combinations and made an online tool to help make these weights understandable. The combinations shown on the website are regular tractor trailer combinations, Canadian B-Train combinations, and trucks with multiple trailer axles that are common in the Quebec – Ontario – Michigan corridor.”
The website has plans to grow to include more semi truck vehicle combinations and information about dimensions as well, to become a valuable resource for the shipper. And the website has the potential to grow to become a “Wikipedia” of trucking, says Ray Haight, CEO of TransRep. Inc and industry consultant and columnist.
Tractor trailer drivers in Ontario are receiving the new tool well. Gene Emslie, General Manager of RIMS Transport in Hamilton, ON talks about how his drivers have been making use of the site and find it to be valuable. The inclusion of multi-axle trailer weights in Ontario and Michigan is especially useful for his drivers hauling heavy loads in Ontario, Michigan, and Quebec.