VANCOUVER — A convoy of hundreds of independent container haulers rolled slowly along the highway in North Delta to protest rates and what they say are increasing restrictions by Port Metro Vancouver.

The Vancouver Container Truckers’ Association — the CAW-backed truckers group that was responsible for a two-month port shutdown in 2005 and has been threatening strikes ever since – staged the rally with 400 drivers over the weekend.

A CAW spokesperson said the convoy was a more peaceful alterative than repeating the notorious strike of 2005.

Gavin McGarrigle told local media that the port has failed to enforce the minimum rate standards that were part of the container truck licensing system mandated by Transport Canada in 2005 as a way to end the strike.

The owner-ops and the union have been making noise since the summer that they’re on the verge of taking action.

Ironically, the VCTA is protesting both low rates and certain restrictions that raise the barriers of entry, which help keep rates stable.

The truckers are upset with a new $300 licensing fee for drivers; bans on older, dirtier trucks; and lifting the cap on new licences for company drivers (which the VCTA says leads to more capacity and fewer owner-ops).

McGarrigle said the truckers’ want more transparency, noting the ports won’t reveal which drayage companies aren’t abiding by the licensing rules.