The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has announced the introduction and transition to DriveON, a new digital vehicle safety and emissions inspection program that will begin phasing in April 2022.
Officials says the program will modernize and streamline the vehicle safety and emissions inspection process for Motor Vehicle Inspection Stations (MVIS) and vehicle owners in Ontario. This transition will first start with stations offering heavy diesel commercial motor vehicle emissions testing and be phased-in over the next two years for other stations.
In a notice — OTA-MTO-DriveON_public –the Ontario Trucking Association, MTO states that the DriveON program will use a “one test, one result” approach when fully implemented, which will: reduce vehicle down time; significantly reduce opportunities for fraud; eliminate paper waste; improve compliance and commercial vehicle safety standards; and help protect people and the environment from smog-causing pollutants. It further states that vehicle owners who previously chose to have their safety and emissions inspections performed separately will still have the option to do so under the new program.
The rollout of digital vehicle safety inspections will also support new regulations coming into effect on August 1, 2024, which require commercial motor vehicle owners to provide a current annual or semi-annual safety inspection to register or renew a vehicle licence plate.
MVIS locations will be contacted directly by MTO with additional details including training and awareness sessions as the phase-in commences. For complete details about the DriveON program, please click here
OTA members with questions can feel free to contact the Vehicle Inspection Contact Centre toll-free number at 1-833-420-2110 or by email at VIC@driveonportal.com