BC introduces mandatory speed limiters and in-cab warning devices

BC is introducing two new safety measures: 1) Speed limiters which will be effective April 5, 2024; 2) In-cab warning devices effective June 1, 2024.

First new measure: Speed Limiters

In an effort to increase safety measures BC has announced that on April 5, 2024 all commercial vehicles traveling through the province will need to be equipped with new safety devices. The first being speed limiters which will need to be programmed to a maximum speed of 105 km/h or 65mph. This will apply to all commercial vehicles that were made in 1994 or newer, and a gross vehicle weight of more than 1,793 kg or 26,000 lbs.

And of course, there are the newly announced penalties if you are found in violation of this new law. Any of the following conditions will earn you a fine of $368 Canadian and 3 driver penalty points:

  • If there is no speed limiter in the vehicle
  • If the speed limiter is not turned on
  • If the speed limiter is not set to correct max speed
  • If the speed limiter is not in good working order
  • If the electronic control module is not accurately programmed
  • If the tech in the truck has been tampered
  • If there is tampering technology interacting with the speed limiter

The only exceptions are emergency vehicles and motorhomes.

Why speed limiters?

Well, the government is citing a few reasons for introducing the speed limiters for commercial vehicles:

One, it follows Ontario and Quebec, who have had mandatory speed limiters for the last 16 and 15 years respectively, capped at 105 km/h. When Ontario put the caps on the speed they saw a 73% reduction in accidents involving commercial vehicles and speed.

Two, it is supposed to help with decreasing greenhouse gas emissions as all provinces look to reduce their carbon footprint.

Second safety measure: In-cab warning devices

This measure will affect commercial vehicles with a dump box that rises above 4.15m or 13.6ft. The in-cab system will have to have either a visual warning or an audio warning device within the cab that alerts the driver that the dump box is raised.

How does one measure to know if this applies to your dump vehicle? Measure from the highest point when the dump box is fully raised to the road surface below.

This new mandate will come into effect on June 1, 2024 and any violators will receive a fine of $598 and to top it off it will show on your National Safety Code profile.