Regulation Change Opens Door To Single Wide Tyres in Ontario

An amendment to Ontario’s regulation governing permissible truck axle weight limits has opened the door to single heavy truck tyres. The Canadian province now permits the use of these tyres at the same weights as conventional dual tyres – it is, however, only the second province, after Quebec, to approve this weight parity.

Regulation 435/08 will amend the current weights and dimension regulations to allow wide based single tyres to operate at weights up to 9,000 kilograms per axle and provide flexibility on vehicle track width so that retrofitting can take place. Previously, the Ontario weight threshold for single tyres was 8,000 kilograms per axle on a standard 53-foot tandem trailer.

Tyre rolling resistance accounts for up to 35 per cent of fuel consumption, yet wide-base tyres have been found on average to produce between four and five per cent fuel savings compared to conventional duals. This equates to annual Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reductions in the range of seven to eight tonnes per vehicle per year.

Until recently most provinces capped the single tyre weight threshold at 6,000 kilograms per axle, and the weight penalty attached to going over this limit made the fitment of single wide tyres economically unviable. Several provinces of late have raised the weigh threshold to 7,700 kilograms, making it easier to specify single tyres for loads destined for the US, where this is the maximum weight.

“By removing the weight penalty on wide base single tyres, carriers will now have the flexibility they need to use single tyres on the majority of drive and trailer axle configurations,” commented OTA President David Bradley. “OTA has been working with the Ministry of Transportation for the last three years studying and conducting trials of the wide base single tyres. The data collected show there are major potential fuel savings to be had.”