B.C. tries to strike a balance on motor carrier plates

VICTORIA (Feb. 22) — Nearly 18 months after the province’s trucking industry was largely deregulated, British Columbia announced that was abolishing motor carrier plates, considered to be one of the last vestiges of economic controls.

The province collected about $7.2 million each year in fees related to motor carrier plates, for which commercial truckers paid an annual $100 fee.

The plates signify that a carrier holds a B.C. operating authority. Truckers have long argued that the plates serve no useful purpose because carriers are required to carry a copy of their operating authority inside each vehicle they operate.

“To make sure that deregulation and commercial vehicle safety enhancements proceed hand in hand,” said Transportation and Highways Minister Harry Lali, commercial vehicle licensing fees will be increased by 5% with a minimum of $2 to a maximum of $75 per vehicle.

The average increase is $10 per vehicle. A $2 increase will also be assessed on commercial trailers.

The higher fees will be introduced gradually from April 1, 1999, to March 31, 2000, and will be applied to 530,000 commercial vehicles. A pro-rated registration fee will apply to vehicle operators who travel outside the province.

The increase, the first since Jan. 1, 1996, is expected to recover $5 million in annual revenue for the province, which the government intends to use for truck safety initiatives. Nearly $2.2 million will come from owners of commercial vehicles weighing 5000 kilograms or more.

About 16,500 vehicles are expected to be assessed the maximum $75 fee.

“The upshot is the guys who paid $7.2 million for motor carrier plates are now going to pay $2.2 million in higher registration fees,” said B.C. Trucking Association president Paul Landry. “The balance will come from the half-tons and other smaller commercial vehicles the province has to monitor.”

Taxis and buses regulated by the Motor Carrier Commission will not be affected. New application fees for operating authorities by dump truck operators, truck loggers, and other regulated segments of the industry will continue until Jan. 1, 2000, when all economic controls over trucking are due to be lifted by the province.

Minister Lali also announced that motor carriers applying for a new operating authority will receive a “safety education package and are required to write a business safety plan,” Lali said. The new certification process is scheduled to begin April 1.


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