An amendment to the Highway Traffic Act has changed the definition of a road-building machine effective July 1, 2017. This new regulation, Ontario Regulation 398/16 - Road-Building Machines, reclassifies which types of vehicles will continue to be considered road-building machines. It is important that your customers review these changes, acquire proper registration, driver licensing, inspection and insurance for vehicles affected by this legislation.
The following classes will no longer be considered road-building machines:
- Mobile Equipment Vehicles, which means:
- A Mobile Crane that is not built on a truck chassis, but not an off-road mobile crane
- An Excavator that is not built on a truck chassis, but not an off-road excavator
- A Street Sweeper that is not built on a truck chassis, but not a low-speed street sweeper
- Vehicles constructed on a truck chassis.
- Vehicles that comply with or are intended to comply with the Canadian Federal Safety manufacturing standards for highway vehicles or comparable standards from another jurisdiction.
How this change affects your insurance
If a vehicle no longer falls under the definition for road-building machines, it will be classified as a commercial motor vehicle. This means that the vehicle will now require automobile insurance, Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration (CVOR), vehicle registration, and a safety inspection. Drivers will also require the appropriate driver’s license class and must adhere to hours of service regulations (exemptions apply).
If your vehicle is covered under a property policy as contractor’s equipment and is no longer classified as a road-building machine, it should be moved to a commercial automobile policy, and will be subject to existing commercial automobile coverage and underwriting process.
More information on these changes and the new regulation, Ontario Regulations 398/16 – Road-Building Machines, can be found on the Ontario Ministry of Transportation website.
As outlined in this new regulation, in order to register a former road-building machine, one of the requirements is proof of motor vehicle insurance. Whether you have one vehicle that needs to be insured or a fleet, contact us today to obtain a free, no-obligation quote.
