TRURO, N.S. — It has been a long time coming, but the Truckers’ Association of Nova Scotia (TANS) may soon take to the highways to fight for higher rates and lower fees.

The grassroots group — primarily composed of aggregate haulers — will get to voice its concerns to the provincial Finance Minister Neil Leblanc as well as Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Minister Angus MacIsaac.

The much-ballyhooed meeting is set to take place at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow and will see many concerns tabled by TANS. Topping the list with low rates is the recent increase in fees, which has sacrificed much of the driving community on the altar of a balanced budget.

Fees introduced in the month of April included a 40 per cent hike in motor vehicle registration fees as well as a newly introduced $50 commercial carrier registration fee.

“The Minister of Finance says these rate increases are comparable to those in New Brunswick,” says Lunenburg West Liberal MLA Don Downe (who happens to be the province’s former finance boss). “What the minister failed to mention is that truck drivers in that province receive approximately $12 per hour more to transport goods then their counterparts in this province.”

TANS members who had planned to stage a peaceful protest in opposition to the rate hike have agreed to wait until after the impact of the meeting with the provincial brass.