Ontario Class A Driving Test: Vehicle Inspection and Safety

Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance

• A valid Inspection sticker is affixed to the vehicle to ensure it has passed an annual inspection.
• A police or appointed ministry officer has the authority to perform a safety inspection at any time and any location.

Daily Inspection Report

• A properly completed daily inspection report contains the signature of the driver or person completing the report.

Load Security

• The entire load, including items such as gas cans and wheel chocks, must be secure on the vehicle.

Tire Inspection

• A front tire fails an inspection if the tread on two adjacent areas is less than 3 millimeters (0.12 inches).

Driver Hours of Service

• After accumulating hours of driving, a minimum of 8 hours of consecutive off-duty hours must be taken.

Backing Safety

• Good practices before backing include sounding the horn, informing the operator, and turning off the radio/phone.
• Opening windows is not a recommended practice before backing.

Coupling and Uncoupling

• After raising and securing the landing gear, a visual inspection of the fifth wheel connection must be performed.
• After the Jaws lock when coupling, a tug test and visual confirmation of the coupling being secure must be performed.

Road Signs

• A sign with a truck and a horizontal line above it means no truck over 6.5 meters in length is permitted in that lane.
• A sign with a truck and a symbol of a bridge above it means low bridge clearance.

Hill Starts

• When joining traffic on an uphill grade, the vehicle should be held using the parking brakes until the clutch engages.

Under the Hood Checks

• The main reason to check under the hood is to verify fluid levels.

Coupling with a Trailer

• When backing up the tractor to couple with the trailer, the fifth wheel slot must be in line with the trailer kingpin.

Combination Vehicle Length

• The maximum length of a combination vehicle is 23 meters (75 feet).

Speed Limiting System

• Many commercial motor vehicles have a speed limiting system which limits their maximum speed to 105 km/h.

Dangerous Goods

• Dangerous goods transported on Ontario's roads and highways are identified by markings and safety labels for each classification of dangerous goods.

Minor Defects

• If a minor defect is discovered during a trip, it must be recorded on a daily report, and the operator must be informed to monitor the condition.