Historic Vehicle Plates: Pros/Cons in Ontario, Canada

[Robin Craig]

Frankly too many people run too many ropey pieces of junk on the road in this province and we are living in the dark ages with no yearly inspection.

Yes getting a Land Rover or Bedford truck parking brake measured will be a pain but it is for the good of all of our safety an those of our loved ones.

As long as this pendulum slows down and settles at a yearly inspection I am ok, but if we let the swing continue to the point the next door province does with bolting on extra retrofit gear then that is too far.

Of to continue building my garage and fume quietly in the corner over cheap MV owners, but that is another story, bah humbug!

[chris vickery]

Robin you hit upon the point that I agree with concerning those who opt for putting junk on the road.
We have all seen low quality resto attempts or cobbled together pieces simply because the owners choose not to do what is right. There is too much "good enough" mentality out there. I would rather see enthusiasts take the time to make their rides mechanically sound than spend huge dollars tricking them out with fancy paint and tons of useless kit. At the end of the day some decent brakes are going to do a lot more than some cool gear hanging all over the place.

[Barry Churcher]

I take might out for a leisurely drive all the time !
__________________
1957 Dutch DAF YA 314 Army truck , Dutch Army 1976 Progress AW 57/5 mobile field kitchen, 1981 immersion heater

Terry, as a word of caution, have you had your DAF weighed? I know my DAF tipper hovers very close to the magic 4500 kg number. How much does the kitchen trailer weigh? With Historic plates do you still need a yearly inspection if over 4500kg? My understanding is that you do need a yearly inspection (yellow sticker) although I haven't done one on my own truck but will when I decide to put it back on the road. I will also take it to the local landfill and get a weight slip so if ever stopped by the MTO I have some paperwork backup. The MTO guys don't know everything but if they think they are right you can't win. It's better to have back up readily at hand.
Cheers,
Barry

[chris vickery]

Terry you will want your truck to lose a couple pounds somehow.
The threshold is 4500kg and over....
What is the listed curb weight according to your data plates?

[Jack Innes]

Terry,

The Registered Gross Weight is the combined weight of the truck, trailer & load in the eyes of the MOT.

From the MOT site under Definitions;

Commercial motor vehicle: any motor vehicle with a permanently attached truck or delivery body, including ambulances, hearses, casket wagons, fire apparatus, buses and tractors used for hauling loads.

Gross weight: the combined weight of vehicle and load.

Registered gross weight: the weight for which a permit has been issued under the HTA; the fee for the permit is based upon the weight of the vehicle or combination of vehicles and load.

From personal experience, this year I had to reduce the RGW on my diesel 3/4 ton pickup to 4600kg since my CVOR has expired (without notification). This leaves me the capability of carrying about a large motorcycle legally on my tandem flat bed trailer before I am over weight.

[Grant Bowker]

This is a general comment - not aimed at any of the previous posters.

I try to be legal in what I do but find it difficult to understand the complexities of driver and vehicle licensing in Ontario. In extremely general terms, if your combination of towing vehicle, trailer and loads total less than 4500 kg and are operated safely life is fairly simple. Once past the 4500 kg threshold, and in some cases sooner, life gets more complex if you want to be in full compliance.

As with almost all regulations there are complexities.
To use an example from http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/tru...icle-faq.shtml question 16:
"If the trailer weighs more than 2,800 kg (6,171 lb.):

• register the truck for at least the combined weight of the truck and trailer, weights A and B

If the trailer weighs 2,800 kg (6,171 lb.) or less:

• register the truck for at least the weight of the truck (weight A), which includes trailer tongue weight
• weight transmitted directly to the ground by the trailer is not included in the RGW"

In other words, if the trailer is light enough, its weight does not have to be included in the truck's registered gross weight.

For anyone treading the thin line of legality, probably quite a few of us (me included) given the weight capabilities of modern pickups and the solid build of many MVs - please don't take my post or even the MTO website as the definitive answer on what you can or can't do legally. Please check the legislation and regulations listed in Q4 of the same website (not all regulations apply in every case but even that might not be the full list).

Highway Traffic Act:
and
Regulation 629 Accessible Vehicles
Regulation 199/07 Commercial Motor Vehicle Inspections
Regulation 424/97 Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators' Information
Regulation 577 Covering of Loads
Regulation 340/94 Drivers' Licences
Regulation 587 Equipment
Regulation 555/06 Hours of Service
Regulation 11/04 International Registration Plan
Regulation 611 Safety Inspections
Regulation 612 School Buses
Regulation 363/04 Security of Loads
Regulation 381/98 Special Permits
Regulation 618 Specifications and Standards for Trailer Couplings
Regulation 628 Vehicle Permits
Regulation 413/05 Vehicle Weights and Dimensions - For Safe Productive and Infrastructure-Friendly Vehicles
Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act
Fuel Tax Act
Public Vehicle Act

[chris vickery]

One must remember that MTO officers can and will do as they like. Armchair lawyers take note. Better to be on the side of compliance, ignorance is not a defence, nor is "I thought..."
Trying to pass off a 1 ton plus military vehicle as a pickup when in fact it is not is only going to lead you into troubled waters.
Furthermore, it does not really matter what your registration says. Too many times the poor MTO lady at the office simply does not really know what you have either. MTO officers can order your vehicle in for an inspection and re-write of your registration if they deem it inaccurate or misleading.
At the very least you are in for a weigh in and likely a mechanical inspection as well at the scales. Remember too that MTO inspection officers are likely not familiar with the weirdness of military vehicle mechanical systems neither and can up the ante by pulling your plates and sending you off for inspection at a certified mechanic station.
Food for thought.