MISSISSAUGA — “We are not opposed to regulation, but we do want them to be smart regulations that are uniformly applied,” said Scott Tilley, president of the Tandet Group, to Tony Clement, president of the Treasury Board of Canada, in Mississauga today.

Clement was on-hand at Tandet’s terminal today to re-affirm the federal government’s commitment to reducing red tape.

The lack of harmonized regulation in the interprovincial trucking industry was identified as a serious concern in a report entitled “Cutting Red Tape; Freeing Business to Grow,” released by the Harper government earlier this year.

The report reviewed the burdens of federal regulations on Canadian businesses, and highlighted areas for reform. In a statement, The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) noted the a couple of key recommendations in the report that pertain to trucking:

• Provide a predictable and uniform business environment across Canada for the trucking industry and to reduce current compliance burden and associated costs, Transport Canada engage its provincial and territorial counterparts with concrete proposals to advance the harmonization of regulations that pertain to the National Safety Code (including hours of service). The department should aim to eliminate unnecessary compliance burden on inter-provincial truck commerce stemming from differences in regulatory requirements across jurisdictions.

• Provide businesses with greater certainty and predictability through reasonable timelines and service standards, Transport Canada streamline its processing of exemptions under the Motor Vehicle Transport Act.

David Bradley, CTA president and CEO, said that the visit by Clement was a good sign. “The industry is pleased to see that key members of the Harper government’s cabinet are committed to reducing red tape for trucking businesses.”