How do you stay up to date on all the rules?

Read !!! Trade publications like Truck West, Truck News etc. Or go on Government website for Commercial Trucking rules etc.

 

Rules?



Hammer down driver!

 

This site is my news source of new rules and regulations.

 

Don't get pulled over lol.

Overweight? Only if you cross a scale.

Out of hours? Only if they ask you for your book.

 

Canada

Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA), National Safety Code Standards (NSC), nos.;
9 Hours of Service (HOS),
10 Cargo Securement (June 2013), and
13 Trip Inspection
are of the most relevance to drivers.

No. 11 Commercial Vehicle Maintenance and Inspection if you're an O/O or do some maintenance on the truck.

CCMTA also has the CCMTA Application Guide available. It is basically a layman's language guidance to the HOS.

Federal Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations (SOR/2005-313). The same information as NSC Standard 9, but this is the source regulation.

Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety

Heavy Truck Weight and Dimension Limits for Interprovincial Operations in Canada (December 2014)

Each province has its own regulations listed via their webpages with lots of sub-sections. I reference AB, BC and ON the most.

Alberta Transportation Commercial Transportation

British Columbia Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE)

Ontario Ministry of Transportation Commercial Vehicles​

U.S.A.
I tend to look only at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) site unless I am hauling over dimension and then I would look to each state I would be travelling through. Unlike Canada, where the provinces have more control and autonomy, the FMCSA regulations in the U.S. must be adhered to by the states for interstate commerce on federally funded roads (basically, the "Interstate" system). States may have different (including more restrictive) regulations for state and local roadways.

FMCSA Regulations, parts;
392—DRIVING OF COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES,
393—PARTS AND ACCESSORIES NECESSARY FOR SAFE OPERATION,
395—HOURS OF SERVICE OF DRIVERS, and
396—INSPECTION, REPAIR, AND MAINTENANCE
are the most referenced.

The U.S. Cargo Securement Rules are virtually identical to the Canadian ones with the one major exception being the the U.S. allows unmarked securement devices and Canada does not.

There are also lots of guidances and links to other publications available from the FMCSA site.​

As previously mentioned, there are lots of trade publications and associations that are helpful. I found the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SC&RA) and their Permit Book exceptionally useful for oversize hauling.

 

Personally I just simply listen to the truck stop counter and all the super great truckers talking about how they were Navy Seals, then world class lawyers, and finally truck drivers. I mean with all those careers, they must be right 100% of the time.

 

I told you not to repeat any of that !!! Jeeez !

 

I hate to Poo Poo the thread, but do more research before you spend to much time on said apps. I ran with ELogs for a few years with one of my last carriers. I'm back on paper now, but ELogs will be law soon. Just that one carrier I ran with on ELogs had numerous apps built right into the tablet. Apps that, back then, included such things as maint records, tractor history, trailer history, truck stops, maps, AND cell communication with 'hot button' calls for emergencies etc. The carrier was a car haul carrier, and the ELog was a Samsung Tablet that was removable from the truck to take home or into the hotel, etc. I could use the tablet for limited personal use ( checking email, surfing YouTube or Google etc ) and I could use it to plan the next days / weeks / months travel, routes, stops for maint, etc .... the company also had instant communication with me via call or text on the device. I received, thru apps, road closures, construction delays, etc ... The ELog also knew where I was going and was able to tell me roughly where a good deal would be for a meal would be up the road.