BCTA steps up fight against new port truck fee

VANCOUVER – Port of Vancouver owner-operators and drayage companies haven’t exactly had the smoothest of relationships lately, but here’s something both groups are in total agreement over:

Truck fees. As in, ‘no thanks.’ 

Port Metro Vancouver is just a few months away from launching a $300 per truck registration fee, and anyone who operates a truck within the port – independent operators or carrier company – is none to happy about it.

In the fall, hundreds of protesting owner-ops cited the registration fee as a major sticking point.

And the B.C. Trucking Association is also becoming vocal. It says it is "objecting to the lack of transparency in PMV’s consultation process, including PMV’s lack of response to our submission following its original notice about this fee."

PMV plans to collect the $300 fee beginning on March 1, 2011, for all trucks with licence or permit renewal dates of April 1, 2011 or later. For new trucks, the fee kicks-in on April 1, explains BCTA.

In order to bolster is case against the fee, BCTA is looking for comments from association members who access the port.