Slow and steadier: New low-speed options in the UltraShift Plus make it more vocational-friendly.
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Avoiding fines: Avoiding violations and hefty fines begins with a thorough pretrip inspection.
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Western Canada’s Trucking Newspaper Since 1989
April 2016 Volume 27, Issue 4
Keep your cool: There are many options for keeping a comfortable cab temp without idling the big engine.
truckwest.ca
RETAIL A DV E R T I S IN G PAGES 35 -4
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Left out in the rain
Port trucking companies feel wronged by retroactive pay decision By Derek Clouthier
Drivers with Calgary, Alta.’s Light Speed Logistics have been using ELDs, such as the MCP200 pictured above, for about a decade. Many employees say they appreciate the company’s use of new technologies.
Bring on the ELDs Western trucking associations mostly in favour of electronic logging device (ELD) mandate
Reach us at our Western Canada news bureau
W
ith reports indicating that the federal government may follow the US’s lead and mandate truck drivers’ use of electronic logging devices (ELDs), trucking associations in Western Canada appear to all be in favour of the move for a variety of reasons.
Contact Derek Clouthier Derek@ Newcom.ca or call 403-969-1506
PM40063170
Safety
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Safety was the primary reason for support of ELDs. Terry Shaw, executive director of the Manitoba Trucking Association (MTA) said that although there were many positive implications for bringing in ELDs, safety was the certainly the largest. “If compliance with the hours-of-service (HoS) rules increases road safety, which we all believe they do,” said Shaw, “then everyone that is subject to those rules should be utilizing this technology that will help drive increased compliance levels.” Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) executive director Lorraine Card also voiced her approval of ELDs, and said all levels of government should provide leadership to get them mandated for the transportation industry. “Carriers currently using this technology are doing so on a voluntary basis and most have made the decision to keep them in their fleet,” Card said. “This will improve safety and productivity.”
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Louise Yako, president and CEO of the British Columbia Trucking Association (BCTA) said her group has been advocating for the mandated use of ELDs for several years, and that drivers already using them have reported a reduction in stress that was either self-imposed or put on by dispatchers or customers to make a delivery quicker. “The ELD clearly demonstrates the driver is doing his job in a responsible, safe and legal way,” she said. Efficiency
Lowering fuel costs and increasing a driver’s productivity was another benefit of using ELDs underscored by the associations. “Drivers operating in an ELD environment realize a net gain in available driving/on-duty time of 30-120 minutes per seven-day cycle, leading to an increased earning potential,” said Card. Shaw said that Transport Canada has done a study on the use of ELDs, and that the MTA has been told that the return on investment is somewhere in the area of two-to-one. “Increased HoS compliance from all heavy commercial road users is a benefit,” he said. “Administratively, for companies there are benefits through streamlined awareness of a driver’s hours, and for drivers, the administrative burden Continued on page 22
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VANCOUVER, B.C. – Container trucking companies say an absence of consultation with regards to rate hikes was the prominent factor in the decision to file a lawsuit against Port Metro Vancouver and the federal government. In total, 33 carriers have filed suit claiming that the federal government does not have the right to impose retroactive pay hikes on companies after the work in question had been completed and appropriately paid for. Suzanne Wentt owns Indian River Transport, one of the carriers that are involved in the lawsuit, and said that her drivers were paid the mandated rates, and says the retroactive piece that was inserted into the legislation is “morally and ethically wrong,” as she was first notified of the new rate schedule 30 days after drivers returned to work following a 2014 walkout over rate negotiations, and that a few weeks later, rates were changed to be retroactive to April 1, 2014. Wentt added that there is also a rate sheet for ‘off dock rates,’ which is when companies pick up and return empty containers to depots other than the marine terminal. “When the B.C. Container Trucking Act was signed in December, they added a clause and a new rate schedule for off dock moves that the owners had no knowledge of, however, it was mandated retroactive to April 1, 2014,” Wentt said. “It was very clear that it trumped collective agreements and we had to pay.” Wentt said her company, like others at Port Metro Vancouver, had already performed and paid for the work and could not simply go back to the customer and ask for more money to recoup the lost revenue. “Can you imagine if you shopped at Save-On-Foods from April until December and then in December receive a call telling you, ‘Sorry, but there was an increase on all your purchases of 5% from April 1 to Dec. 19 and we need you to Continued on page 19
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