LANGLEY, B.C. — The president of the B.C. Trucking Association is hoping that over the next 20 years highway infrastructure is vastly improved and accommodates long combination vehicles, most commercial trucks will be running on LNG, and regional rules governing trucks will be more consistent.

Those and other yearnings were part of a "Christmas wish list" BCTA President & CEO Paul Landry recently presented to attendees at the second International Conference on Gateways and Corridors hosted by the Sauder School of Business. 

In his presentation, Landry emphasized the need to work within the transportation community as a necessary requirement for Pacific Gateway progress.

Over the next two decades, Landry hopes the coastal supply chain can come together to make the following happen:

Completing the Patullo Bridge and North Fraser Perimeter Road; highway improvements have reduced travel time and improved safety between the Lower Mainland and Calgary/Edmonton, and to and from Prince George; much of the Cariboo Connector and the TransCanada Highway have been twinned, allowing extensive use of long-combination vehicles.

Thanks to financial incentives and accelerated capital cost allowances, most diesel trucks by this time are using compressed or liquid natural gas while diesel-electric hybrids for lighter loads and hydrogen-powered vehicles are finally penetrating the market.

Intermodal systems take trucking needs into account by, among other things, operating 24/7, as do shippers and receivers. A single, flexible scheduling system "has replaced the current three, integrating the needs of all marine and off-dock container facilities."

A model by-law for efficient goods movement, including approval for the use of twin and triple LCVs between midnight and 5 am, from Deltaport to Surrey and Abbotsford for carriers with exceptional safety records; and Port Metro Vancouver’s Truck Licensing System "now includes operational standards and has resulted in significant environmental gains while optimizing both safety and productivity."

Achieving this admittedly "rosy" future requires all stakeholders to have a common purpose and realize their "interdependence in terms of achieving a shared vision for the Asia-Pacific Gateway," says Landry.