BANFF, AB - Shaun Hammond, Alberta Transportation's assistant deputy minister - safety policy and engineering, offered government views on a broad range of issues during the Alberta Motor Transport Association's annual meeting in Banff on Friday.
Low oil values have calmed prices at the pump, but they have also hit fleets and owner-operators who serve Canada's famed oil patch. Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers hosted a record-breaking sale in Edmonton this April, reselling about 10,600 pieces of equipment. That is clearly the sign of a struggling industry, especially when you consider that just 46% of the purchased equipment stayed in the province.
EDMONTON, AB - Everything sells. It's a firm rule at Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, and there is plenty on hand for the highest bidder. About 10,600 pieces of equipment will move through the company's sprawling Edmonton complex this week, easily setting a sales record and eclipsing last April's numbers by about 35%. Trucks dominated most of the sales on Tuesday, when close to 10,000 bidders had already registered for a piece of the action. Equipment such as cranes, rock catchers, and trailers will follow.
Murray K Mullen has seen the impact of low oil prices first hand. More than 100,000 jobs, $60 billion in earnings, and $33 billion in capital investments have evaporated, much of it in Alberta. The Mullen Group itself - the largest provider of specialized transportation for Western Canada's oil and gas industry - has laid off more than 1,400 people. Blame a disruptive technology known as horizontal hydraulic fracturing.
BANFF, AB - A cash-strapped Alberta government is rethinking the way priorities are set for the province's highway network and related maintenance - both for the short term and decades into the future. Every proposed infrastructure project must now contribute to a "triple bottom line" that considers social, economic and environmental impacts, Alberta Transportation Assistant Deputy Minister Shaun Hammond said in a briefing during the Alberta Motor Transport Association's annual convention. Decisions to twin a highway will be based on more than traffic counts alone. And "you will see more and more (environmental issues) in the next few months." The department is already reaching out to the association in the search for ways to reduce emissions around Red Deer, where particulates from diesel engines have played a role in creating the worst air quality in Canada. And Alberta Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Brian Mason pledged earlier in the day to begin research into fuel-saving wide-base single tires "as soon as possible".
BANFF, AB - Alberta Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Brian Mason spoke to the Alberta Motor Transport Association's annual conference this afternoon, emphasizing investments being made in the province's road networks. "The global collapse in oil prices, our most vital commodity, is causing tremendous economic pain and anxiety," he said, adding that the province's infrastructure investments are designed to help spur economic growth. "Transportation is vital to building the Alberta economy."
EDMONTON, AB -- Alberta's Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation announced his government will now begin to recognize the DND 404 military driver's permit. This allows for the awarding of the civilian equivalent commercial licence to serving and recently retired vets who had a valid DND 404 within the qualifying timeframe. Until now, such military driving qualifications were not transferable into a commercial licence despite the fact that many serving and retired veterans have already acquired the needed driver training, qualifications and experience in the Canadian Armed Forces to drive heavy military vehicles on Canadian roads and abroad.
ROCKY VIEW, AB - Members of the Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) Executive Committee recently met with province's Infrastructure and Transportation Minister, Brian Mason and Deputy Minister Greg Bass. This was the first formal meeting the group has had with the ministers. For the bus and trucking industry to effectively meet the transportation needs of Albertans, AMTA said it has identified two key priorities for action.
ALBERTA - Truck driver Raymond Scott simply couldn't believe he had won $50 million. And, thanks to his habit of joking about his lottery tickets, his wife wouldn't believe him, either. But the Fort Kent resident was on the level. He became a millionaire 50 times over on the August 7 Lotto Max draw.
RED DEER, AB -- Dozens of Alberta's best and safest professional truck drivers gathered recently at Red Deer's Westerner Park for the Alberta Professional Truck Driving Championship to determine who was tops. Each competitor completed a written exam to test their knowledge of regulations, legislation, safety, security, and first aid and then they participated in a pre-trip inspection conducted under the watchful eye of an examiner. Contestants also had a turn behind the wheel as the driving portion of the event got underway. Each entrant demonstrated their driving skill as they completed seven obstacles that tested their ability to maneuver the vehicle in simulations of some of the toughest conditions drivers' cope with on the road.
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