Section 5: Liftable axles and controls

Ontario

Vehicle Weights and Dimensions — For Safe, Productive and Infrastructure-friendly Vehicles

Part III — Preconditions for Designated Vehicles or Designated Combinations

5. (1) A designated vehicle or designated vehicle combination may have axles in addition to those specified in the corresponding Schedule, but the additional axles must remain in the raised position. O. Reg. 457/10, s. 5 (2).

(2) A designated truck or a tractor in a designated combination may not be equipped with or have controls, whether remote or manual, that would allow the driver from the cab of the truck or tractor to lift, deploy or alter the weight on a self-steering axle or a forced-steer auxiliary pusher axle of the truck or of any drawn trailer unless,

(a) the truck, truck-trailer combination or tractor-trailer combination is designed to carry raw forest products;

(b) if the truck or tractor was built before January 1, 2020, the controls,

(i) do not activate unless the emergency 4-way flashers are activated,

(ii) contain a device that prevents lifting the axle or altering the axle weight when the truck or vehicle combination is travelling at a speed over 60 kilometres per hour, and

(iii) in the case of a tractor-trailer combination, operate only on the most forward self-steering axle of the semi-trailer; or

(c) if the truck or tractor was built on or after January 1, 2020, the control is an emergency lift axle override control that meets all of the following conditions:

(i) It allows the driver from the cab of the truck or tractor to lift, alter or deploy the weight on a self-steering axle or forced-steer auxiliary pusher axle of the truck or of any drawn trailer.

(ii) It is separate and independent from the 4-way flasher control.

(iii) The words "Emergency Lift Axle Override" appear adjacent to the control.

(iv) It activates the emergency 4-way flashers.

(v) It only lifts, alters or deploys,

(A) in the case of a tractor-trailer combination, the most forward self-steering axle of the semi-trailer, or

(B) in the case of a truck, the self-steering axle or forced-steer auxiliary pusher axle.

(vi) It begins the lifting or altering of weight immediately upon activation.

(vii) It does not allow the axle to be lifted or its weight altered when the truck or vehicle combination is travelling at a speed over 60 kilometres per hour.

(viii) It fully deploys the self-steering axle or forced-steer auxiliary pusher axle,

(A) immediately upon the vehicle stopping,

(B) immediately upon the tractor power being turned off, and

(C) within three minutes after the lifting or altering of weight. O. Reg. 228/19, s. 3.

(3) The tractor in a designated tractor-trailer combination 12 may not be equipped with or have controls, whether remote or manual, that would allow the driver to lift, deploy or alter the weight on the tandem or tridem axles in the combination, unless the controls,

(a) operate only on the forward axle of the lead trailer's tridem axle;

(b) do not activate unless the emergency 4-way flashers are activated; and

(c) contain a device that prevents lifting the axle or altering the axle weight when the combination is travelling at a speed over 60 kilometres per hour. O. Reg. 457/10, s. 5 (2).

(3.1) A designated truck may be equipped with,

(a) manual controls mounted outside the cab of the truck to lift or deploy its self-steering axle or forced-steer auxiliary pusher axle;

(b) manual controls mounted outside the cab of the truck to alter the weight on its self-steering axle or forced-steer auxiliary pusher axle, but only for use outside of Ontario;

(c) automatic controls that lift its self-steering axle when reversing and deploy it again when moving forward; and

(d) automatic controls that lift or deploy its self-steering axle or forced-steer auxiliary pusher axle, depending on whether the truck is heavily or lightly loaded. O. Reg. 457/10, s. 5 (2).

(3.2) A trailer in a designated combination may be equipped with,

(a) manual controls to lift or deploy its self-steering axles;

(b) manual controls to alter the weight on its self-steering axles, but only for use outside Ontario;

(c) automatic controls that lift its self-steering axles when reversing and deploy them again when moving forward; and

(d) automatic controls that lift or deploy its self-steering axles, depending on whether the trailer is heavily or lightly loaded. O. Reg. 457/10, s. 5 (2).

(4) In subsection (3) and in Schedule 12,

"tridem axle" means a triple axle as defined in section 114 of the Act that does not include a self-steering axle and that has the same number of tires at each wheel position, and includes an axle unit that is equipped with a device for altering the weight transmitted to the highway surface. O. Reg. 413/05, s. 5 (4).

© King's Printer for Ontario, 2012-2021. The text is not the official version of Ontario's Highway Traffic Act or associated regulations. For official text, refer to www.ontario.ca/laws.