VANCOUVER – The federal government may not be extending a container truck licence regime which mandated set rates and fuel surcharges paid to owner-operators, but it has tabled legislation that institutes a separate licensing rule for carriers working the ports in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver.

Earlier this week David Emerson, federal Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway, said the Tory government would not approve an new order in council that would extend the interim licensing scheme which ended a bitter six-week strike last summer by 1,200 independent container haulers protesting rate-cutting, low wages, and the high cost of fuel.

Instead, new “Regulations Amending the Port Authorities Operations” published in the Canada Gazette Part 1 yesterday require the Vancouver Port Authority to administer licences to approved trucking companies entering the ports.

VCTA truckers are talking about another strike over
new licence system changes for container carriers

Ottawa and the B.C. transport ministry are also looking to create a forum of stakeholders charged with trying to resolve the ongoing contract problems between owner-ops and carrier companies hauling containers within the ports.

In order to get the licence, carriers would have to comply with a set of minimum conditions — many of which are already required at three main VPA terminals, but have so far been difficult to enforce. Not only does the regulation reinforce current measures being implemented by the port authorities, but it also “facilitates long-term stability in the operations of these ports,” the government states in the proposal.

The licence criteria requires carriers comply with:

— A reservation system to be established or adopted by the port authority.

— Requirements of the port authority respecting the identification of trucks and other road transportation equipment and the tracking, monitoring, location and movement of these trucks and other road transportation equipment into, within and out of the port.

— Any “applicable law in respect of rates of remuneration that the owner-operator of a tractor covered by an authorization is to receive for the delivery, pick-up or movement of containers into or out of the port.”

That doesn’t mean, however, the licence would automatically set rates for owner-operators the way the previous controversial licensing system forced carriers to pay contracted truckers rates established by government mediator Vince Ready during last year’s strike. In fact, the new government made it clear it wouldn’t be regulating rates – nor asking the VPA to do so — but would closely monitor that contracts and bargaining agreements be honored.

This week, the Vancouver Container Truck Association and the Canadian Auto workers, which represent many of the owner-ops, threatened to launch another wildcat strike if the previous licence system wasn’t continued. There’s a good chance they may still in fact do so.

That’s what the Retail Council of Canada is warning members across the country. The RCC’s Kevin Evans told Canadian Press the changes don’t do anything to stop another major labour disruption at the ports.
The association estimates Canadian businesses lost an estimated $500 million during last year’s strike.

The government has established a 30-day comment period so that truckers, brokers, port authorities, and other stakeholders can weigh in before it formally adopts the new rules.