Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
1 NW OOIDA Drive, Grain Valley, MO  64029
Web site: www.ooida.com

Contact: Norita Taylor, norita_taylor@ooida.com 
Headquarters: (800) 444-5791

(Grain Valley, Mo., July 8, 2008) – In response to the Ontario government’s decision to pass a speed limiter bill, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) will file a formal Notice of Intent challenging the legality of the legislation. The notice will be filed as soon as the new law, which will require heavy trucks operating in the province to be “arbitrarily” speed limited, is officially implemented.

“We are vigorously pursuing all appropriate legal remedies to protect the right of truckers, big and small, to compete fairly and safely across international and provincial borders,” said Rick Craig, Director of Regulatory Affairs.

The Association retained legal counsel in Canada and obtained advice regarding potential grounds to challenge the legislation. “We did this as soon as it became apparent the government had no intention of seriously considering reason and sound science in the debate. We have established the basis for those challenges,” said Craig.

The Association contends this new law would cause an impediment to interprovincial and international trade by restricting access to trucks from other jurisdictions that do not have mandated speed limiting restrictions. OOIDA has identified possible North American Free Trade Agreement and constitutional violations.

“We believe the new law discriminates against U.S.-based companies as well as Canadian trucking companies based outside of Ontario by restricting their ability to operate freely throughout Canada,” added Craig.

Officials from OOIDA as well as technical experts and truckers from Ontario and the U.S. testified at a committee hearing in opposition to Bill 41, to no avail, prompting the need to pursue the legal path.

“The reasons given by proponents for passing the bill were nothing more than a red herring and will infringe upon the rights of all extraprovincial truckers who want to pursue their livelihoods to operate throughout Canada,” stated Craig.

“We, on the other hand, made bullet-proof arguments addressing the safety, environmental and trade implications of speed limiter legislation. OOIDA has always known the initiative was never about safety or environment, but instead about limiting extraprovincial competition in favor of big business trucking interests in Ontario.”

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more 162,000 members nationwide. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, MO, area.