VANCOUVER — Just eight months after a controversial licensing rule lured them back to work, can-haulers at Vancouver’s coastal ports are threatening to shut down their engines once again.

According to Canadian Press, about 200 independent container truckers staged protests yesterday, fearing the new Conservative government may not extend a temporary agreement brokered last summer by government mediator Vince Ready on behalf of the truckers, the Port of Vancouver, and a begrudged group of Lower Mainland fleet owners.

The deal, which has been extended several times by the former Liberal government, is set to expire this week. The truckers say chaos could erupt once again if the government doesn’t extend the provisions, which effectively brought an end to a sometimes-violent, month-long strike by 1,200 container truckers last August.

Can haulers servicing Lower Mainland ports say the government
risks another strike if the licence deal isn’t approved

Prior meetings headed by Vince Ready failed to spark a deal until the Vancouver Port Authority stepped in with the backing of Transport Canada and implemented an interim licence provision for all carriers that work the ports. Carriers that obtained a licence, however, would automatically be accepting the terms laid out in Ready’s final proposal, which included hefty rate hikes and fuel surcharges for the independent truckers. With the threat of being shut out of the port, most carriers signed up for the VPA licence despite unanimously rejecting similar provisions in Ready’s previous proposal.

Last winter, a task force commissioned by the governments of Canada and B.C. recommended making the licence program permanent. The task force claims it was “market failure” in the container sector that led to the labour standoff in the first place.

The licence scheme for accessing the properties of the Lower Mainland ports was last extended in January for an additional 90 days.

Yesterday, the truckers’ representatives met with Federal Industry Minister David Emerson and provincial Transport Minister Kevin Falcon to address the issue.

Truckers say the hauling rates established by Ready would plummet if the extension isn’t approved, and that about 400 companies that aren’t part of the Canadian Auto Workers’ union would undercut unionized workers.

The VPA recently upgraded the licence system provisions. Chief among the changes is mandatory compliance with container terminal reservation systems. Also required is mandatory participation in a truck monitoring and vehicle location program, disclosure and sharing of vehicle and driver safety information, enhanced environmental and safety standards, and compliance with designated truck routes.

Canadian retailers and manufacturers lost millions during last year’s strike. The Retail Council of Canada said members spent an extra $100 million in alternative transportation.

— with files from Canadian Press