VANCOUVER, B.C. — An inaugural meeting of the recently-formed Port Vancouver Container Drayage Association (PVCDA) was held in Richmond, B.C. on May 28, to bring together the container trucking sector in “a unified voice to address common concerns and issues that have fragmented the sector,” said an association release.

The container trucking sector controls a truck fleet of more than 2,500 trucks and 10,000 chassis, handling approximately 35% of Port Metro Vancouver’s container trade, which, in 2009 was about 2.5 million TEU’S, said the PVCDA.

A majority of trucking firms involved in the movement of containers to and from container terminals located in Port Metro Vancouver was in attendance at the meeting.

The main objective of the Association is to enhance relationships and communications with other stakeholders in the container industry, including shipping lines, freight forwarders, brokers, importers/exporters, regulatory authorities and various levels of governments on container transportation matters, said Gordon Payne, chairperson of PVCDA.

Payne, who spearheaded the organizing committee, led the formation of the Association. Frank Pasacreta, formerly the president and CEO of the B.C. Maritime Employers Association, has been selected as president of the Association.

“For the past five years the federal and provincial governments have initiated a variety of activities intended to stabilize the container transportation sector serving Port Metro Vancouver. While extremely well intentioned, these activities have not produced the intended results and the sector has continued to struggle to realize operational stability and the economic efficiencies enjoyed by other sectors of the container transportation business. To address the critical issues currently plaguing the sector, trucking companies have been exploring the formation of an organization to represent their interests with government and other key stakeholders,” noted the release.

The Association’s key mandate is to address issues such as the Port Metro Vancouver container reservation system, port truck licensing system and truck fleet sizes, and compliance and application with regulatory tariffs imposed by government on the container drayage sector.