New rules reduce truck numbers

[Hong Kongese]

New rules reduce truck numbers
About 2,000 fewer trucks calling at ports thanks to more stringent environmental regulations

Jessica Kerr, The Delta Optimist
Published: Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Since introducing more stringent environmental regulations, Port Metro Vancouver has taken approximately 2,000 trucks out of its system.

In April, the port authority rolled out new regulations through its truck licensing system that limit older trucks from accessing port property. Since then, the number of trucks licensed to access Lower Mainland ports has dropped from 5,500 to 3,500 and there are now 250 fewer trucking companies in the port system.

Under the new regulations, the trucks were deemed not clean enough to be allowed to access port property.

The first phase of the requirements went into effect April 1. All trucks made before 1994 had to pass an opacity test before the end of March.

An opacity test measures the density of a truck's emissions. Higher opacity readings are connected with higher particulate matter emissions.

In addition to passing the test, all trucks made prior to 1989 must also now be outfitted with a Port Metro Vancouver-approved age emission reduction measure.

Any trucks that do not meet the requirements are no longer allowed to travel to and from Port Metro Vancouver facilities, including Deltaport.

"We believe [the program] has gone very successfully," said chief operating officer Chris Badger.

Badger said the port authority is looking at expanding the more stringent requirements to include trucks built before 1994. He said that phase of the regulations should be brought into effect early next year.

The licensing system was designed a few years ago after concerns about the trucking system were raised. It was designed, Badger said, to achieve some market stability.

He said the port authority continues to work with the B.C. Trucking Association to establish "more community friendly practices."

Badger said the removal of a number of trucks is also aimed at streamlining the system.




© The Delta Optimist 2008

[Metro-One]

I don't quite understand this, then who is making up for the 40% loss of the shipping fleet?

[1ajs]

the railway?

[Metro-One]

Railway lines can only handle so much freight before the tracks become overly stressed. This is why derailments have been escalating over the past 5 years. 40% of the truck traffic is a large chunk of shipping to be suddenly absorbed by the railway. They do have many train frequency regulations. People always think that the railway can magically handle anything we throw at it, but they do not realize that such an increase in freight requires large capitol investments by the railways, such as adding new spur lines, strengthening rail beds and buying new freight cars. All these things do not happen over night, so the question still stands (the railway i am sure has absorbed a bit of it, but i doubt all of it)

[fever]

That's a huge drop. There'd hardly be any trucks left if they started testing brakes.

My guess is these trucks move containers mostly within Metro Vancouver. The railways carry all the heavy, bulk commodities like coal from Deltaport. I doubt there are that many trucks taking containers over the Rockies, for example. I don't see how it could be more than a couple hundred a day, or as much as a train or two.

[jlousa]

What has happened is the port has extended their hours as well and will start a pilot project of being open 24hrs a day, to take trucks off the roads during peak times. Those increased hours help move more containers with fewer trucks. The older trucks are now limited to only non-port activities so they are picking more of that work freeing up the new trucks to focus solely on the Ports which pay a little better. At the end of the day there isn't an loss of capacity.

[Metro-One]

Thank you. Now it makes sense