HALIFAX — Permits allowing two Atlantic trucking companies to run long combination vehicles (LCVs) in Nova Scotia promises to save the fleets money and make them more energy efficient, the government says.

Armour Transportation Systems and Sunbury Transport are part of a pilot project by the Department of Transportation to study the effects the vehicles will have on Nova Scotia highways.

Sunbury has been operating the units on Routes 1 and 2 between Saint John and Dieppe since 2005 as part of a pilot project in neighboring New Brunswick.

The approved permits allow the fleets to run double, 53 foot semi trailers on the province’s twinned 100-series highways between Burnside and the New Brunswick border. Any other carrier can apply for a permit at the department’s website (click here).

The LCVs are required to keep their speed below 90 km/h and remain in the right-hand lane at all times. The permit also requires that drivers take a specialized vehicle training course, and have a minimum of five years and 150,000 kilometres of tractor-trailer driving experience.

"Other jurisdictions allow LCVs on a limited basis and we don’t want to inhibit the ability of Nova Scotia to compete," said Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister Brooke Taylor. "At the same time, safety is our top priority and running a pilot project will help us assess first hand how these vehicles perform on Nova Scotia highways."

Proponents say the benefits of LCVs include reduced truck traffic, by using one engine to haul two trailers, and reductions in fuel and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as better-trained drivers on the road.

As for the rest of Canada, Rocky Mountain double LCVs are popular in Alberta, while B.C. launched an LCV pilot last year between Burnaby and Kamloops. There are also plans afoot to begin an in-service LCV study in Ontario in the near future.