Brake inspections

[Bushbear]

Talk down here is that Canadian Customs/??? is now looking at trailers coming into Canada and turning back folks that don't have the appropriate brakes on their trailer. US regulations might be a little more lenient than Canadian.

Washington requirements:
Required on all trailers on all wheels. Under 3000 lbs not required unless trailer exceeds 40% of the towing vehicle gross weight.

Can someone advise what is needed and if the inspections are occuring?

Thanks

 

[Shepnoir]

Gulp. Going down this weekend to pick up the new rig! I've imported before without issue and nothing more than surge brakes, but that was 5 years ago and an only an 18'er. There is nothing on the CBSA website that I saw and I talked to them and they didn't elude to this stipulation. The new trailer has brakes so I'm not concerned, but will report back any issues that arise. 22' Seasport boys! pics a comin'!!

 

[vetteman]

The staff at the ICBC Weigh Scales in Parksville have been grounding out of province trailers without adequate braking as per BC regulations for quite some time now. It's not really all that new.
Dave

 

[marula]

this is for BC only. Other provinces vary.

Brake Requirements:

o Gross trailer weight of 3050lbs/1400kg or less, brakes are required if the gross loaded weight of the trailer, is more than 50% of the licensed weight of the tow vehicle.

o Gross trailer weights of 3081lbs/1401kg to 6160lbs/2800kg, brakes are required and a breakaway brake kit is also required.

o Gross trailer weight of more than 6160lbs/2800kg; brakes are required and the trailer brakes must be capable of being applied by the driver independently of the towing vehicle brakes. A surge brake does NOT meet this requirement, a breakaway brake kit is also required, and brakes are required on ALL axles. The sole exemption to this rule is for a 3-axle house trailer, in which case brakes are only required on 2 of the 3 axles.

o General brake regulations: Brakes with which a trailer is equipped when applied must be adequate to maintain control of the trailer, and must not affect the direction of the trailer.

o The breakaway brake must automatically apply when the trailer separates from the tow vehicle and when applied must be capable of remaining fully applied for at least 15 minutes

 

[Bushbear]

Thanks for the replies. Rec'd the following from a contact. Looks like I'm in good shape. Hope other folks headed north to leave some $$ will have the right gear on their trailers....

British Columbia
(Please note: Due to past confusion regarding BC's braking laws, this section includes more details than just the requirements for tow bars/trailer brakes.)

Trailer Brake Requirements
• Gross trailer weight of 1,400 kg (3,080 lbs) or less - Brakes are required if the trailer and its load weigh is more than 50% of the licensed weight of the vehicle towing it.
• Gross trailer weight of 1,401 kg (3,081 lbs) to 2,800 kg (6,160 lbs) - Brakes are required, including a breakaway brake.
• Gross trailer weight of more than 2,800 kg (6,160 lbs) - Brakes are required, and the trailer brakes must be capable of being applied by the driver independently of the towing vehicle's brakes. A surge brake does NOT meet this requirement. A breakaway brake is also required. Brakes are required on all axles. The sole exemption to this rule is for a 3 axle house trailer, in which case brakes are only required on 2 of the 3 axles.


Towing Dolly Brake Requirements
• Gross weight of dolly and motor vehicle carried is 1,400 kg (3,081 lbs) or less.
• Brakes are not required on the dolly if the net weight of the dolly plus (+) the gross weight of motor vehicle carried plus (+) the gross weight of tow vehicle equals (=) less than the gross vehicle weight rating of the towing vehicle.
• Combinations other than the two outlined above require brakes on the towing dolly. Brakes are not required on the motor vehicle being carried by the dolly.


Tow Bar Brake Requirements
• Motorhome and Towed Motor Vehicle - If the towed motor vehicle has a gross vehicle weight of less than 2,000 kg (4,400 lbs) and is less than 40% of the gross vehicle weight rating of the motorhome, brakes and co-ordinated brake control are not required.
• Commercial Vehicle with GVWR over 5,500 kg (12,100 lbs) and Towed Motor Vehicle - If the aggregate weight of the combination does not exceed the GVWR of the commercial vehicle brakes are not required on the motor vehicle being towed.
• Other Combinations - If the combination is not included in the two situations outlined above, brakes are required on all wheels of the motor vehicle being towed in the same manner as trailer brake requirements.

• General Brake Requirements.
• Brakes with which a trailer is equipped when applied must be adequate to maintain control of the trailer; when applied must not affect the direction of travel of the trailer.
• Breakaway Brake Must automatically apply when the trailer separates from the tow vehicle and when applied must be capable of remaining fully applied for at least 15 minutes.


Detached Trailers
No person shall park or leave a detached trailer at any place on a highway unless the wheels are locked so that the trailer will remain stationary at that place.

A message from BC regarding Brake Controllers
Never use a brake controller that taps into the hydraulic brake system of a tow vehicle equipped with ABS brakes unless the manufacturer specifically intends the controller for this situation.

If your tow vehicle has ABS brakes, Transport Canada recommends that you use an inertial* brake controller to operate the trailer brakes rather than a controller that operates the trailer brakes when it senses the tow vehicle brake lights turn on. This will prevent possible electronic interference with the ABS controller.

*An inertial controller has a small weight inside that moves in response to the tow vehicle decelerating and sends electrical power to the trailer brakes in proportion to how much the tow vehicle decelerates. An inertial brake controller does NOT tap into the existing hydraulic brake system of the towed vehicle (trailer); hence it does not interfere with the electronic components of the existing ABS brake system of the towed vehicle.

 

[Tripitaka]

Yep, the inspections are occurring. I got stopped back in early Feb 2011 coming back in and we were 2900Kg with a surge brake. They made us stand in the rain unloading everything that we could out of the boat and into the back of the pick-up and we were still 40Kg short but they let us go ahead eventually.

I was REAL nice with the guys there, no attitude at all and instead sought to be educated as to what I needed to do to comply with BC law. They were real helpful and I think this contributed to them letting me through. They did say that they just look for the big surge brake block on the trailer as it is a dead giveaway that the trailer is likely to be overweight for surge brakes. The first we knew of the stop was the patrol car with the blues 'n' twos going off; they sit in the guardhouse at the scale and just jump into the patrol car to bring you back if they don't like the look of it.

 

[dmurph]

Bought a 25 foot trophy out of washington this past April and had no inspections of any kind at the boarder, they did look at boat or trailer. Just sent me inside to pay all the fees and tax.

 

[Tripitaka]

@dmurph - it isn't the customs guys that do the stop - it is the transport crew at the scale just down the road. My customs check went through fine; it was 5 mins after leaving there that I got nailed.

 

[profisher]

Apparently there is a blitz on right now checking that rear (transom) tie down straps are being used. Caught without them is a $250 fine.

 

[Shepnoir]

Hi all,

No problems with anything as descibed above. As usual, customs were helpful, just don't give them a reason to rip you apart ie: false declaration. Trailer was missing a compliance sticker and so one is being sent up by the manufacturer. Gettin her ready for Nootka!