Ontario and Quebec Speed Limiter Law: A Practical Guide for US Carriers

If your trucks cross into Ontario or Quebec, a speed limiter set at 105 km/h, which is 65 mph, is not optional. In Ontario, a driver who cannot show a working one faces a fine of $250 to $20,000 under the Highway Traffic Act, and officers have the power to read your truck’s computer at the roadside. This guide covers who is covered, what gets checked and what to do before a trip. For the federal picture, read our US truck speed limiter law guide.

Does the Ontario speed limiter law apply to US trucks?

Yes. Ontario’s commercial vehicle safety requirements say most large trucks must use electronic speed limiters that cap their speed at 105 km/h, and the rule applies to out-of-province and US trucks. A truck is covered if it:

• was built after December 31, 1994,
• has an electronic engine (an electronic control module, or ECM), and
• has a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 11,794 kg (26,000 lb) or more.

The law itself, section 68.1 of the Highway Traffic Act, was added by the Highway Traffic Amendment Act (Speed-limiting Systems), 2008. It makes it an offence to drive, or permit the operation of, a commercial motor vehicle on a highway unless it has a speed-limiting system that is activated and functioning as the regulations require. The offence covers the driver and whoever allows the truck to be driven, which for a carrier means you.

What about Quebec?

Quebec sets the same figure. A ministerial order under the Highway Safety Code requires a 105 km/h limiter on heavy vehicles assembled after 1994 with a GVWR of at least 11,794 kg. Emergency vehicles are among the exceptions. We have not summarized Quebec’s enforcement rules or penalties here, because we have not verified them from the order itself. If you run into Quebec, read the order or ask your Quebec contact to confirm current penalties.

Which trucks are exempt?

Ontario’s page says a limited number of vehicles are exempt, such as ambulances and fire trucks. The regulation itself, O. Reg. 396/08, also exempts buses, mobile cranes and motor homes. Quebec’s order as published in draft in 2008 also listed buses among its exceptions, so this guide is about trucks. Anything below the weight threshold is outside the rule: a truck with a GVWR under 11,794 kg (26,000 lb) is not covered. So are trucks built in 1994 or earlier, and trucks without an electronic engine, because the rule is written around the ECM.

This matters for mixed fleets. Class 8 tractors usually fall in. Box trucks and vans under 26,000 lb usually do not.

What do Ontario officers check?

The Highway Traffic Act spells it out. An officer may require the driver or person in charge to:

• give the officer access to the vehicle’s computer system so the officer can retrieve and read information on whether the speed-limiting system is activated and working,
• surrender any device or equipment in the truck that forms part of the speed-limiting system, and
• surrender any records the regulations require the driver to carry.

Failing to comply with an officer’s direction is itself an offence. Two more points from the Act:

• Tampering. It is an offence to deactivate or modify the system, to drive with a device designed to disguise that the limiter is not working, or to sell one. An officer who finds such a device can seize it.
• Speed as evidence. Unless there is evidence to the contrary, proof that a commercial vehicle was driven at or above the speed set in the regulations is proof it did not have a working limiter. A truck that has been driven faster than the set speed is hard to defend.

The Ministry of Transportation’s page does not say how roadside readers work, so we do not describe the equipment. What is certain is the legal power to read the ECM.

What are the penalties?

Under section 68.1, anyone convicted of driving without a working system, deactivating or modifying it, driving with a tampering device or failing to comply with an officer is liable to a fine of not less than $250 and not more than $20,000. Ontario’s Court of Justice lists a set fine of $310 for these offences in the schedule that introduced them in 2009. A set fine is the amount for a ticket paid without a trial and it may have been revised since, so confirm the current figure before quoting it to anyone.

How do I check my trucks before a trip?

Treat it as a pre-trip document and a pre-trip test.

1. Sort the fleet. List every truck that may cross, with model year, GVWR and whether it has an electronic engine. Anything built after 1994 with a GVWR of 11,794 kg or more is in scope.
2. Read the setting. Have a technician or dealer read the road speed limit parameter in the ECM and record it. It must be no higher than 105 km/h (65 mph).
3. Check it can be shown. Make sure the setting is protected so it cannot be changed without leaving a record, and that your driver knows an officer can ask for access to the computer.
4. Check settings after service. Software updates and ECM replacements can reset parameters. Re-read the setting after any of them.
5. Keep a record. Put the date, truck number and setting in the maintenance file.
6. Brief drivers. They should know the trip is capped at 65 mph and that deactivating or interfering with the limiter is an offence.

Should I use the engine setting or an aftermarket limiter?

For a covered truck, the engine setting is the direct route, because the Ontario and Quebec rules are written around the ECM. We are not going to tell you that an aftermarket device satisfies those rules. If you are unsure, ask the province’s Ministry of Transportation before you rely on one.

An aftermarket limiter earns its place elsewhere in the fleet: the vans, pickups and lighter trucks that are outside the border rule but still burn fuel and carry risk at speed, and any vehicle that has no fleet speed setting at all. The trade-offs are in our guide to speed governors for trucks, and the products are in truck and van speed limiters. Any of them with an electronic (drive-by-wire) throttle takes the DBW unit, whatever the maker.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do US trucks need a speed limiter in Ontario?

Yes, if they were built after December 31, 1994, have an electronic engine and have a GVWR of 11,794 kg (26,000 lb) or more. The limiter must be set at 105 km/h (65 mph), and the rule applies to US trucks.

Does Quebec have the same speed limiter rule as Ontario?

On the numbers, yes. Quebec requires a 105 km/h limiter on heavy vehicles assembled after 1994 with a GVWR of at least 11,794 kg, and emergency vehicles are excepted.

Can an Ontario officer check my speed limiter setting?

Yes. The Highway Traffic Act lets an officer require access to the truck’s computer system to read information on whether the limiter is activated and working.

What is the fine for no speed limiter in Ontario?

The Act sets a fine of $250 to $20,000 on conviction. The Ontario Court of Justice listed a set fine of $310 when the offence was introduced in 2009.

Are vans and pickups covered?

Not under the rule as Ontario describes it, which applies from a GVWR of 11,794 kg (26,000 lb). Lighter vehicles are outside it.

How do US fleets buy AutoKontrol speed limiters?

Through Scorpion, our parent group’s US team. Start with the quote form, and fitting is agreed per job, by your own technicians or our engineers and partners.

Cross the border with the setting on record

A truck stopped in Ontario without a working limiter turns a delivery into a fine and a delay. Tell us what you run and how many vehicles, and we will match a limiter to each one and price it. Get a quote or book a free consultation. How US fleets buy is set out on our US speed limiters page.

AutoKontrol has made speed limiters in Britain since 1985 and supplies fleets in more than 50 countries, with approvals including ISO 9001, UTAC, TÜV and VCA.