. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/CAN/315 
25 May 2010  
 (10-2874) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English/ 
 French 
 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  CANADA   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  Department of Transport 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above :   
Canadian Enquiry Point 
200-270 Albert Street Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 6N7  Tel.:  +1 613 238 3222 Fax: +1 613 569 7808 E-mail:  enquirypoint@scc.ca  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:   
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicab le, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Air Brake Systems 
(ICS: 43.040) 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Technical Standards 
Document No. 121, Air Brake Systems – Revision 3 (1 page, available in English and 
French)  
6. Description of content:  Notice is hereby given, pursuant to section 12 of the Motor 
Vehicle Safety Act and sections 16 and 17 of the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations, that 
the Department of Transport has revised T echnical Standards Document (TSD) No. 121, 
Air Brake Systems, which establishes perform ance and equipment requirements for braking 
systems on vehicles equipped with air brake systems.  
TSD No. 121, Air Brake Systems, reproduces U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 
No. 121 of the same title and is incorporated by  reference in section 121 of Schedule IV of 
the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations. 
This revision requires the vast majority of new truck tractors to be able to come to a full 
stop in a distance that is up to 30% less than what was previously required.  The purpose is 
to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries associated with crashes involving tractor-
trailer combinations.  This new requirement  will speed up the introduction of the latest 
brake system technology into North America's freight hauling fleets and will help truck drivers avoid collisions with other vehicles. G/TBT/N/CAN/315 
Page 2  
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including the natu re of urgent problems where applicable:  
Protection of human safety  
8. Relevant documents:   Canada Gazette, Part I, 8 Ma y  2010, Page 1139 (available in 
English and French)   
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    8 May 2010   
8 November 2010.  Mandatory compliance will be phased-in over time based on vehicle design, the last phase requiring compliance as 
of  
1 August 2013. 
10. Final date for comments:  Not stated 
11. Text available from: National enquiry point [X], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses,  if available of the other body:   The electronic 
version of these documents  can be downloaded at: 
http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/ p1/2010/2010-05-08/p df/g1-14419.pdf  (Canada Gazette) 
http://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/roadsafety/1210rev3_e.pdf  (TSD _English) 
http://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents /securiteroutie re/1210rev3_f.pdf  (TSD _French)