REGINA – – The Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association (SCHA) is lobbying for an hours-of-service exemption for short-haul truckers in time for the busy summer construction season.

According to the Regina Leader-Post, SHCA President Shantel Lipp said an exemption for short haulers would not only be safe, it would mean fewer construction delays and more efficient operations. (www.todaystrucking.com attempted to contact Ms Lipp. We’re still waiting for a response.)

Currently, the only regulatory difference between short-haul and long-haul drivers is that if you drive less than 160 km from your base every day, you don’t have to keep a paper log on hand. Otherwise, all commercial drivers all have to abide by the same regulations.  

Here’s what the Leader-Post newspaper has Lipp saying: "We have been working through the Civil Infrastructure Council of the Canadian Construction Association on an exemption to the Federal Hours of Service Regulations.

"The exemption would mean that short haul drivers would be permitted to drive on a slightly
longer cycle.

“It would mean that given the short span of the construction season, there would be fewer delays transporting materials from one site to another."