OTTAWA, Ont. — The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is opposing a US DoT plan to hike fees for cross-border HazMat haulers.

In a letter to the DoT, the CTA said the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is out of line raising fees for programs such as the Hazardous Materials and Emergency Preparedness grants program (HMEP), especially since fees charged to large carriers are based largely on revenue earned within Canada and not cross-border revenue.

“CTA finds it troubling that in the face of federal budget constraints, US agencies are developing a propensity for significant fee hikes to maintain programs on a status quo basis, rather than taking a hard look at programs and determining where cuts to non-essential components can be made,” said CTA president David Bradley.  

He said it’s “patently unfair” to assign “large carrier status” based on gross revenue earned within Canada.

“The determination of large carrier status should be based solely on revenue earned in the United States to haul hazardous materials,” insisted Bradley.