Speed limiters required for commercial trucks in B.C. starting this weekend

Canadian transportation officials are reminding truckers that speed limiters will be mandatory for commercial vehicles in British Columbia in just a couple of days.

B.C.’s mandatory speed limiter rule goes into effect on Friday, April 5, 2024.

Under the new rule, in order to operate in B.C., heavy commercial vehicles with a gross-vehicle-weight rating of more than 11,793 kilograms that were manufactured after 1994 must be equipped with a speed limiter device.

The B.C. speed limiter mandate sets the top speed for heavy commercial vehicles at 105 km/h, or a little over 65 m.p.h.

The new rule allows for a fine of $368 (CAD) for the following violations:

• No speed limiter in heavy commercial vehicle
• Speed limiter in heavy commercial vehicle not activated
• Speed limiter in heavy commercial vehicle not set to prescribed maximum rate of speed
• Speed limiter in heavy commercial vehicle not in good working order
• Inaccurately programmed electronic control module in heavy commercial vehicle
• Tampering technology interacting with speed limiter
• Tampering technology in heavy commercial vehicle

B.C.’s speed limiter mandate was announced in December 2023.

Officials list a few exemptions to the speed limiter mandate, including motorhomes, emergency vehicles, or “if the vehicle is equipped with an electronic control module that is incapable of meeting the speed limiter requirements.”

“The change brings B.C. into alignment with other jurisdictions where these requirements have seen reductions in crashes. As heavy commercial vehicles regularly travel cross-country, speed limiters provide consistency for carriers and truckers who travel between B.C., Ontario and Quebec, where these requirements also exist,” said the B.C. Ministry of Transportation.

In the U.S., the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is expected to move ahead with a Heavy Vehicle Speed Limiters rule in May 2024.