Port of Nanaimo not implementing “Rolling Truck” ban on older trucks

He said their short sea shipping initiative, which links Nanaimo to the Vancouver and Fraser River terminals with direct connections to global markets, is one way they help cut back emissions by reducing the number of cargo trucks on the road.

They also have an anti-idling policy similar to what the City of Nanaimo does for their municipal vehicles and equipment.

According to the Vancouver Port Authority, approximately 80 per cent of their container trucks already meet their age cap requirements and Marr said the Nanaimo ports already meet or exceed that mark.

“I wouldn’t say I’m not worried about it (emissions), as we grow it’s obviously something we’re going to have to look at how we develop our property, and I think that’s obviously something we will do and we do do, as we look at the growth of business in the area.”

The Nanaimo port does look at things on a global scale when it comes to reducing their emissions, and that thought process goes into all the programs they develop.

“When we set up various initiatives, especially with our short sea shipping initiative, that’s the intention to reduce the overall greenhouse gases globally, but in the region as well… that’s how we’re focused right now.”

And the Nanaimo ports also deal with a significantly fewer number of vehicles compared to the Vancouver terminals.

“It depends (on the day)… for lumber, we might only be open three days a week for that, so you might see 20-30 vehicles a day maybe. Then on the container side, you’re about 30 a day as well, and that’s five days a week. They run fairly smoothly when you look at that throughput.”

The Port of Vancouver is the number one port in Canada for the amount of product they move, and number two in North America, according to their website.

The Port of Vancouver is the busiest port in Canada, and has a goal of becoming a zero-emission port by 2050.(The Canadian Press)

Marr said it’s safe to say they likely see higher traffic volumes in a single day than all the terminals in Nanaimo see in an entire week.

The United Truckers Association (UTA) has threatened job action against the Rolling Truck program, which is planned to be implemented in Vancouver this September.

Marr said the possibility of truckers striking concerns him regarding the impact it can have on the local economy and our trading status on a global scale, which is already in a precarious position.

“On top of pandemics and floods and other things we’ve had going on, anytime there’s job action, wherever it may be, it hurts your reputation as a trading nation, which we are. That always causes concern cause it may result in future downturn in capacity for BC and for Canada.”

All 639 members of the UTA recently voted unanimously in favour of job action at the Port of Vancouver, according to their statement.

They say 1,700 trucks, or 2 per cent of all BC’s licensed commercial trucks, are being unfairly targeted by this program.

The Nanaimo Port Authority is responsible for managing all local harbour activities and adjacent foreshore activities.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow

by Jordan Davidson

Port of Nanaimo not implementing “Rolling Truck” ban on older trucks

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