TORONTO, ON – The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) is weighing in on the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s (MTO) draft Green Commercial Vehicle Program (GCVP).

The government announced it was seeking feedback on the proposal in September, with commenting closed as of Oct. 6.

The program is a part of the Ontario Climate Change Action Plan introduced in 2016, and proposes rebates of 15%-50% on fuel-efficient vehicles, or the technologies to make existing vehicles more fuel-efficient.

The expected $170 million for the program will come from Ontario’s carbon tax policy, and be redistributed to the trucking industry to encourage fleets to adopt greener technologies such as electric and natural gas powered commercial vehicles, infrastructure and temperature controlled trailer technology – as well as tractor-trailer aerodynamic devices and anti-idling devices.

The OTA says its submission included feedback suggested by its members that will encourage fleets to invest in greenhouse gas-reducing (GHG) technology, including adding super single tires to the program, rebates for installing telematics systems, and adding an additional 10% rebate for early adopting long-haul fleets. The group also recommended adding more model years to those eligible for alternative fuel rebates to include those older than the currently proposed 2014 model year.

The OTA’s director of policy and industry awareness programs, Lak Shoan, believes the group’s recommendations will offer the greatest potential for reduction in GHG emissions by focusing on the trucks that are on the road the most.

The GCVP is still being finalized by the government, but the OTA says the ministry hopes to have the rebates available to fleets by the end of 2017 or early 2018.