By Amarjit Kang, Owner & Instructor, Caledon Truck Driving School Ltd.
If you drive in Ontario, you already know the rule for a stopped police car, fire truck, ambulance or tow truck with its lights flashing: slow down, and if there is another lane, move over and leave space. Starting January 1, 2027, that same duty extends to a much longer list of vehicles — the work crews you pass every day.
What changes on January 1, 2027
From that date, drivers must slow down and move over for stopped work vehicles displaying flashing amber lights, the same way they already do for emergency vehicles and tow trucks. The newly covered vehicles are:
- Highway maintenance vehicles — including the plows and sanders out all winter
- Public utility vehicles — electricity, water, natural gas and telecommunications crews
- Waste collection vehicles — garbage, recycling and organic waste trucks
- Roadside assistance vehicles — providers like CAA helping stranded drivers
Until now, the legal duty under section 159 of Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act covered emergency vehicles and tow trucks. The expansion recognizes a simple fact: the person collecting your recycling or repairing a hydro line at the roadside faces the same danger from passing traffic as a tow operator does.
What you must do
When you approach a stopped emergency vehicle, tow truck or covered work vehicle with its lights flashing:
- Slow down.
- Pass with caution.
- On a road with two or more lanes, leave a full lane of space between you and the stopped vehicle — if you can do so safely.
If changing lanes is not safe, slowing down and passing carefully is not optional — it is the minimum the law expects.
The penalties are serious
The penalties that already apply to emergency vehicles and tow trucks will apply to these work vehicles from January 1, 2027:
First offence
- Fine of $400 to $2,000
- 3 demerit points if convicted
- Possible driver’s licence suspension of up to 2 years
Subsequent offence (within 5 years)
- Fine of $1,000 to $4,000
- 3 demerit points if convicted
- Possible jail time of up to 6 months
- Possible driver’s licence suspension of up to 2 years
For a professional truck driver, this is bigger than a fine. Demerit points and a suspension land on the driving record your employer, their insurer and your CVOR profile depend on. A careless pass by a stopped garbage truck can put a commercial driving career at risk.
Why this matters for truck drivers
Professional drivers log more roadside kilometres than almost anyone, and winter multiplies the encounters: plows, sanders, utility crews repairing storm damage, tow trucks on the shoulder. Moving over for amber lights is defensive driving in its simplest form — see the hazard early, adjust speed, create space. It is exactly the habit we train into every AZ and DZ student at Caledon, long before it shows up on a road test.
The people working beside live traffic have families waiting at home. One lane of space and a lighter right foot cost you seconds. They are worth it.
The bottom line
- Before January 1, 2027: slow down and move over for emergency vehicles and tow trucks — that duty already exists.
- From January 1, 2027: the same duty covers stopped work vehicles with flashing amber lights — highway maintenance, utilities, waste collection and roadside assistance.
- When in doubt, treat every flashing light at the roadside the same way: slow down, move over, give them room to work.
Learning to drive professionally? At Caledon Truck Driving School in Mississauga, road safety law and defensive driving are built into our AZ MELT and DZ training from day one. Call us at 905-965-9595 and we will help you plan your start.
Source: Ontario.ca — “Driving near emergency vehicles, tow trucks and work vehicles” (updated October 15, 2026).
Caledon Truck Driving School Ltd. is a registered private career college under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005. Start dates are subject to change and seats are limited. Employment is not guaranteed.
