VICTORIA, B.C. — Long-combination vehicles have hit the highway between Burnaby and Kamloops under a new pilot project to evaluate the vehicles on provincial roads.

If these vehicles work well under this pilot, we’d like to run them on this stretch of highway over the long term, said Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon. Long-combination vehicles can haul about 40% more freight than regular trucks of this type and that means more efficient movement of goods, fewer trucks on our roads, and lower emissions.

The long-combination vehicle (LCV) or Rocky Mountain Double is a tractor and two semi-trailer combination that is six metres longer than standard vehicle combinations of this type.

During the pilot, the ministry will monitor and evaluate the safety record of the vehicles, as well as consider any feedback from other road users. Fuel consumption savings and related greenhouse gas emissions will be tracked to measure environmental benefits.

The pilot project is expected to run until the end of October and will see as many as eight LCVs on Highways 1 and 5 between Burnaby and Kamloops each day.

The vehicles will operate under certain restrictions, including: vehicle combinations must have anti-lock braking (ABS) systems and must meet the ministry’s stringent permit conditions on weights and dimensions; tractors must have an onboard recording device or computer to measure speed and time, as well as an electronic log book recorder; drivers must have a minimum of 24 months driving experience and have passed a medical within the last 24 months, a professional driver improvement course, the LCV training course, and have no more than three moving violations in the past 36 months; and long-combination vehicles will not be permitted to operate in inclement weather.

The ministry conducted a successful initial trial run of long-combination vehicles on the same route last fall. The trial was done in conjunction with various stakeholders, including BCAA and the RCMP.