Thankfully springtime is almost here. But with the rising temperatures comes increased damage to our roadways. In order to help protect our roads, the province enforces reduced load restrictions on trucks to protect Ontario’s highways during spring thaw when road damage is most likely to occur.
All annual and project overweight permits are not valid on any highways unless otherwise specified on the permit during the following:
- March and April in Southern Ontario
- March, April and May in Northern Ontario
Pursuant to the Highway Traffic Act, the ministry will impose reduced load limits for those designated parts of the King’s Highways listed in Schedule 1, when appropriate, between March 1, 2023, to April 30, 2023.
Pursuant to the Highway Traffic Act, the ministry will impose reduced load limits for those designated parts of the King’s Highways listed in Schedule 2, when appropriate, between March 1, 2023, to May 31, 2023.
Pursuant to the Highway Traffic Act, the ministry will impose reduced load limits for those designated parts of the King’s Highways/Roads listed in Schedule 3, when appropriate, between March 1, 2023, to June 30, 2023.
The MTO has provided a list of highways that may be affected is included in this memo:
https://ontruck.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-Spring-Loads-Restrictions-Memo_public.pdf
You can view up-to-date information on weight restrictions here:
https://511on.ca/list/seasonalloads
All carriers travelling on these listed highways are encouraged to monitor this website carefully.
The Ontario 511 interactive map also provides up-to-date visual information – choose the map menu item “Truck and Bus info”, then check “Seasonal Loads”.
Please be advised that municipalities may also pass by-laws and set dates when spring weight restrictions apply to specified roads under their jurisdiction. Watch for local road signs.
During the Reduced Load Periods, weights are generally limited to 5,000 kg per axle, although certain exemptions apply as set out in Highway Traffic Act, Section 122:
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90h08#BK217
Unless otherwise specified on the permit, ‘annual’ and ‘project’ overweight permits are not valid during March and April in southern Ontario and from March through May in northern Ontario.
