Kranenburg to lead revised PIC program

by Steven Macleod

CALGARY, Alta. – Lane Kranenburg, the first ever executive director of the Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) has been picked to lead a revived Partners in Compliance (PIC) program. The AMTA has re-established its presence behind the PIC program and Kranenburg says the association has worked diligently to produce benefits that will be attractive to participants.

After administering the PIC program for a number of years, the AMTA turned responsibility of the program over to Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation in 2003, citing there wasn’t a big enough carrot for participating carriers. But a renewed partnership with Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation and a reviewed look at the program has the AMTA primed to achieve new standards in excellence, with a few carrots just for good measure.

“The program was never dead, it was just not monitored by AMTA,” said Kranenburg the newly-appointed PIC director, in an exclusive interview with Truck News. “There was a realization of the importance of the excellence program and the importance of partnering with Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation in an effort to make highways safer. We need to be consistently aware of the need for safe operations. It’s a partnership with Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation and the AMTA and all commercial vehicles on the road.”

The announcement came in the early days of February with the hiring of Kranenburg to lead the refocused direction of the campaign. Since his early days with the Edmonton Police Service, road safety has been a passion for Kranenburg.

He’s spent time in a number of different roles throughout the transportation industry including time as the general manager for the Alberta Trucking Industry Safety Association, director of the Alberta Trucking Association and executive director with the AMTA. Following a brief retirement, Kranenburg is eager to tackle this latest role in administering the PIC program.

“If I can make a small dent in the marketing of this program and make it a success, I will have done my job,” he explained.

The program has been restructured with a less onerous reporting program, a better set of benefits to participants and a less cumbersome entry process. The reporting process has been changed from monthly to quarterly and all paperwork can be done electronically.

As a former fleet owner, Kranenburg views the reporting process as the most attractive benefit to becoming a PIC member. By reviewing operations on a more regular basis, it will provide owners with an opportunity to identify and solve problems before they occur.

“It allows you to monitor your operation on a regular basis and act as an internal control for a preventative measure of maintenance,” he explained. A new benefit rolled out with the restructured program will be the ability of participating trucks to bypass weigh stations. Participating trucks will be outfitted with on-board transponders, which will transmit a signal to weigh stations, relaying the truck’s participation in the PIC program.

“It’s a pre-clearance system, whereby if you have proven compliance you will have an on-board transponder, which will show a green light for bypassing scales,” said Kranenburg. “It’s not through a bypass lane – right down the highway without slowing down.”

Each one of Alberta’s 12 scales will be equipped with the technology to allow PIC vehicles to bypass and the goal is to have them operational by this summer.

“We’re waiting for the installation of the pre-clearance system at the scales,” noted Kranenburg. “But the contract has been awarded and construction is already underway and we’d like to see it in operation this summer.”

At the time the AMTA ceased administering the program, there were about 25 participating companies. To participate in the self-assessment program a company must meet minimum benchmarks outlined in a number of different regulations, including Hours-of-Service, professional driver qualifications, equipment inspection, dangerous goods, pro-rate registries and fuel tax and treasury compliance.

“They’re all law and part of the National Safety Code,” noted Kranenburg. “So if you’re complying with it, you’re pretty much a PIC member.”

To become a PIC member an initial outside audit must be performed, which includes any audit done within the past year. In subsequent years, an internal audit is required for annual renewal of participation in the program. Each member is also subject to random audits and an outside audit every three years. But Kranenburg noted the audits are just another way for owners to have peace of mind.

“Knowing that if you run an organization in compliance, you never have to look back,” he explained. “That’s the thing about PIC – it allows you to do that and the result is a more economical operation.”

The cost of becoming a PIC member has not yet been finalized, but it will be reasonable and consist of the on-board transponder as well.

“Ideally I would like to see it become a national program, but we are going to start out west and try and get B.C., Saskatchewan, Montana and Washington in line with the program and that way scales can be bypassed in other places as well.”


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