Revised Ontario Licence Requirements

[OntMont]

For those Ontarians who have been following this issue. There is good news. Ontario has revised the G license weight limit for RVs to 11,000kg or 24,250lbs.

Here is the link to the full info: MTO RV Regs

[Wiarton William]

Thanks for the update..

[clarkandsheila]

This applies to B.C., CANADA FOR T.T. and 5ths. It may or may not apply elsewhere.
I got my trailer towing license last year ( Dec 07) when we got our trailer. If the trailer GROSS is 4,600 KG or more you need an endorsement to a standard car license (class C), called a code 51 which means "permits house trailer any weight without air brakes". There was no mention of axle weights and pin weights - it is the GROSS of the trailer. There is also another endorsement for heavy trailer towing - usually meaning towing machinery like backhoes - but still no air brakes.
You do not need a Class A license. If you have it you should be covered.

The trailer and the truck , of course, have their separate insurance policies. When I go towing I go and increase the CGVW insurance to 23,000 lbs. It cost another 1-200$ (figures at home). When we put the trailer to bed for the summer I go in again and reduce the CGVW back to the truck's GVW and get a refund for the time left. Of course if I need to tow I must increase again or take a chance.

When I took the road test I asked the Examiner when these regs. came into being. He generally did the big rig testing but got stuck with me one day. He said they have been there for many, many years. A few years ago the regs/reqmts were simplified for people like us that don't need Class A (air brakes or Class C heavy trlr). Prior to that time you had to study and pass the big test, which some of my friends did have to do - they have been on the road for 10 yrs.

There is actually a manual available online (I.C.B.C.) or in the agencies written for trailer towing-no air brake stuff.

I know many do not have it, ignore it. The police generally don't have time for us unless we do something stupid, careless, or get in a collision. But as I was told, then look out if you don't have your license and insurance up to snuff.

And no, the salesman didn't know yet he was more knowledgeable than most I ran into. He was wrong about the CGVW, the limit for the trailer, The license endorsements( said I didn't need it). I asked a few questions and glad I did, at the Motor Vehicle Branch.

And for the record I weighed the rig (19,870#) and truck and all was good. '06 F350 EC, SRW,SB and 2955 Montana '08. Different rigs will be up or down.

[OntMont]

B.C. is different from Ontario in the way they manage licensing. I would prefer the B.C. approach, but am thankful they at least gave us a break on the trailer weight limit. In truth, Ontario has done a lot recently to sort out what regs. apply to RV's, and how they differ from commercial vehicles.

One sore point with me is that we still have to pay the license fee for the whole year based on the maximum weight we would ever reach. We can't change the Registered Gross weight of the truck, even if we are sitting on a campsite in Texas (or elsewhere) for 6 months at a time. At least, this is what I have been told, if anyone knows differently, please let me know.

[KathyandDave]

Those new MTO RV regs are better than the mess that preceeded them. Thanks, OntMont, for the link.

[OntMont]

My apologies to everyone who is not from Ontario, but for the few of us who must deal with regulations of our Ministry of Transportation (MTO), this thread is serving as a useful forum.

I recently registered my truck for a Registered Gross Weight (RGW) of 10,600 kg (approx 23,500 lbs) which is the GCWR of my truck. The cost of this was C$378. (Ontario does not charge an annual fee for trailers, they just add the trailer weight to the truck weight and require you to register the truck for that combined weight).

I have always felt that this was unfair to RVers who only drive on the road with a full load on a relatively small number of occasions, and may in fact not drive loaded for months at a time if they are camped down south in the winter, or have their rig in storage for the winter. The nice lady at our local license office gave me the number for "License Assistance" (1-800 387-3445). What I found out is that while you must register for the full combined weight, you can change that weight during the course of a year for a fee of C$10. You must take your original ownership certificate, and proof of insurance, into a License Office, but you do not have to do it in person. If you went away and parked your trailer in a campground intending to remain there for several months, you could travel with a copy of your ownership certificate and leave the original and duplicate insurance certificate with a good friend or relative. Once you are settled on your site, have that person change your RGW to a lower value (say 3500 kg to cover just the truck and passengers). That person would then have to scan the Ownership Certificate with the lowered RGW, and email it back to you. When you are ready to hit the road again, reverse the process and get your RGW raised again. You could save quite a few dollars that way. You can leave the refund on your account and that way you will not be charged for issuing a cheque, and the funds will be there to cover the cost of raising the RGW at a later date.

It sounds complicated in writing, but it should not be too hard to do if you have a friend or relative back home who you can trust to do this for you.

Food for thought?

[KathyandDave]

Cool idea, John. Thanks!

[Bill and Ann]

John: For people that only pull their unit for a couple of weeks a year it could be a real pain in the butt.