 Print
BC government threatens the livelihood of hundreds of families
8-09-2016
Surrey, BC – Unfair limitations imposed by the Office of the BC Container Trucking Commissioner on independent container trucking operators are preventing small business owners from sustaining a livelihood sufficient to support their families.
Self-identified as being in support of “free-enterprise,” the BC Liberal government has abandoned its commitment to “create a more stable trucking industry” made in the Joint Action Plan that was signed in March, 2014 to end the strike at the Port of Vancouver.
Under the reformed container trucking licensing system, independent operators are only permitted to access terminals on behalf of one sponsor company, which is the only provision of its kind imposed on small businesses in the province, according to Gagan Singh, spokesperson for the United Truckers Association.
“Under these new rules, our members are unable to seek out work from more than one licence holder, which is a restriction that no other small businesses in British Columbia have to deal with,” says Singh. “There is absolutely no reason why the BC government should have the ability to prevent independent operators from growing their businesses by seeking out additional customers.”
The Office of the BC Container Trucking Commissioner has placed complete discretion with trucking companies holding licences. Whereas once independent operators had permits that allowed them to access terminals for multiple clients, they are now unable to do anything in the long stretches where not enough work is available from their sponsor.
As a result, sponsors are left with ample choice, where they can assign all trips to their company fleets, or pick and choose which independent operators they distribute work to. By contrast, independent operators have no ability to adjust in periods where they are making no revenue.
The current state of affairs for independent operators is bleak, with many being forced to leave the industry because of a lack of viability that is only being exacerbated by expensive vehicle upgrades soon to be imposed by the Port of Vancouver.
The United Truckers Association (UTA), which represents over 800 independent operators servicing the Ports, is calling for an immediate meeting with Minister of Transportation Todd Stone. UTA members transported over 1.5 million containers with a value of over $1 billion in 2015, serving as an essential link for the global supply chain that flows through Metro Vancouver.
“We have been calling on the BC Container Trucking Commissioner’s Office for the past 18 months with no success, forcing us to make this urgent appeal to the Minister of Transportation to take action.”
- 30 -
Media Contact:
Gagan Singh – (604) 499-8400
Footnotes:
|