The

has finalized its truck speed limiter rule and is on pace to have it take effect on New Year’s Day, according to Todaystrucking.com. The rule was finalized after years of planning and debate.

The fine in La Belle Province for not having a speed limiter set will be $350.

Ontario, which was the first province to draft legislation for mandatory speed limiters on trucks, has still not formally approved its own rule, but a Ministry of Transportation official confirmed that is expected to happen shortly and the province also hopes to mirror implementation with Quebec on Jan. 1, 2009.

Ministry of Transportation spokesman Bob Nichols said an educational enforcement period of six months will occur in

 after the rule takes effect. During that time, truckers who do not have the engine ECM set at a maximum speed of 105 km/h would not receive monetary fines, but will be warned of the rules.

David Bradley, whose Ontario Trucking Association began lobbying Queen’s Park for mandatory speed limiters in 2005, welcomed the news.

But while

and

member carriers strongly support the mandate, the sentiment from other truckers has been mixed. Many smaller fleets and owner-operators have been vocally against the idea.

The Owner-Operators Business Association of Canada, along with the

based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, have led the drive to have the rule shelved -- with little effect. OOIDA, however, has threatened to sue the

government on the grounds that speed limiters violate NAFTA -- a claim that OTA says has no merit.

Most fleets will already have the codes to set speed limiters themselves. Those that don’t, will have to bring their trucks into a dealer or coordinate with another maintenance provider for a cost of about $100.