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Aug 12, 2017

TRUCK PLATOON * Canada

* Quebec - Platooning tests underway

--- PIT Group, the research and engineering arm of FPInnovations, is in the midst of Transport Canada’s truck platooning tests that run from July 24 to August 18 at the Motor Vehicle Test Center in Blainville, Quebec... The same team first tested three-truck platoons in 2016, and this year is expanding the research to include a wider range of tractor-trailer configurations, speeds, following distances, weights, and traffic conditions...
 Montreal, QBC, Canada – Today's Trucking - Aug 9, 2017

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Apr 10, 2017

Carrying hazardous chemicals * Canada - Truckers' ask for new safety measures

* Ontario - Councillors say bad weather and trucks carrying dangerous chemicals don’t mix


--- The weather was bad. Road conditions not much better. But that wasn’t enough to keep trucks off the 401... And as the snowstorm raged – a catastrophic pileup near Gananoque killed one driver and a truck spilled a toxic chemical all over the roadway... Dozens of people including emergency responders were treated for possible exposure during a Code Orange at Kingston General Hospital... Now a local councillor says its time to hit the brakes on transports carrying hazardous chemicals during severe weather conditions. And his fellow councillors agree... Mayor Bryan Paterson says banning certain transports may not be the solution but adds last month’s fatal crash serves as a reminder of just how dangerous winter driving can be... Les Struthers works at a local truck stop and sees hundreds of transports daily. He’s in favour of implementing new safety measures for trucks carrying threatening chemicals... 
Kingston, ONT, Canada - CKWS TV - April 05, 2017

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Mar 27, 2017

TRUCKS FAILED INSPECTIONS * Canada: More than half, Durham police say

* Ontario - Durham Regional Police laid 57 charges for safety violations in commercial trucks

--- Police say more than half of the trucks inspected in a safety blitz this week had to be taken off the road... Durham regional police officers and Ministry of Transportation officials inspected 20 trucks and took 13 of them out of service for safety violations... They laid 57 charges. The violations included improper brakes and insecure loads... The loads trucks can carry are restricted on many roads in the region at this time of year and police say they found many of the trucks in violation of that rule... 
 (Photo thanks to Durham Regional Police: North Durham truck blitz)   --   Durham, ONT, CAN - The Canadian Press - March 24, 2017

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Dec 1, 2016

FEDEX news * Canada. E-shopping is the new normal ?

* Ontario - FedEx survey says? E-commerce has transformed the way Canadians shop

--- A full 68% of respondents to a recent survey agree that it is the fastest and most efficient way to shop for gifts during the holiday season. The survey of 1,522 Canadians also found that 69% of respondents believe online shopping offers a better selection of gifts... Findings from the fifth annual Online Shopping Intentions Survey commissioned by FedEx Express Canada suggest that the rise of e-commerce has changed Canada’s approach to gift-giving, showing a 16% increase in the number of respondents planning to shop online this year over those who said they did in 2014... With 61% of respondents planning to shop online this holiday season and 14% indicating that they are planning to shop online for the first time, consumers are doing more of their holiday shopping on the web, which can be attributed to convenience factors including the ability to compare prices and ship directly to their home... FedEx has been working closely with its customers to ensure the global network is prepared for the influx of volume expected between Black Friday (November 25) and December 24. These measures include:  
 ° The addition of over 30 new aircraft to the global FedEx Express fleet 
 ° The addition of approximately 50,000 seasonal positions to a global team of 400,000 people 
 ° The assistance of the FedEx Weather Meteorology Team, which includes 15 dedicated meteorologists, one of the largest in-house meteorology departments in the express cargo industry...
 Mississauga, ONT, CAN - Today's Trucking -Nov 24, 2016

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Oct 26, 2016

TRUCKERS' SHORTAGE * Canada: Estimated in 10,000 in Ontario alone, by 2024

* Ontario - 'Demographic Tsunami'  for truckers 

(Video by ThygeRRR1 - Feb 14, 2014 - ATTENTION, VERY VULGAR VIDEOS: there is a lot of sarcasm, swearing, and those videos are made for fun, for jokes, although they do represent my actions and thoughts in the moment of recording.... everything is spontaneous, and you shouldnt take those videos too seriously... so save yourself trouble and maybe dont watch it...)

 --- The country will soon be confronted with a shortage of truckers — an estimated 10,000 in Ontario alone by 2024... There are currently about 300,000 truck drivers in Canada, about 97% male, making it the second largest employer of men in the country... Although there’s currently a “slow growth environment” for trucking positions, the long-term trend points to an increasing shortage of drivers, particularly those making long-distance hauls. Under-employed, millennials aren’t attracted to jobs where they might be away from home for a longer time or might have to sleep in their cab, he said... Those type of jobs might pull in $70,000 a year, but there is a need to examine driver compensation in general... The other problem for commercial drivers is that governments don’t deem the job to be a skilled occupation... Ontario will become the first jurisdiction in the country to require mandatory entry-level training for truck drivers, starting next July. Bradley said that change will go a long way to putting this career option on the same level as other trades and making it more appealing to young people...

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TRUCKERS' HEALTH = ROAD SAFETY * Canada

* Ontario - Truckers face tough road for staying healthy


--- That driver barrelling down the highway in a truck weighing up to 63,500 kilograms could suffer from a weight problem that’s making him sleepy... While obesity and drowsiness aren’t concerns only for truckers, people who drive for a living face a particularly tough road — bad food options, a lack of rest stops and long, long shifts spent sitting behind the wheel... A driver opting to pull over somewhere for a nap faces potential safety issues or a ticket, David Bradley, president and CEO of the Canadian Trucking Alliance and Ontario Trucking Association, said ... A multimillion-dollar study is being conducted by the University Health Network in Toronto to research the extent of the sleep apnea problem in Canada, and possible solutions to correct it, he said... The Ontario Ministry of Transportation says commercial drivers must submit a medical report when applying for a licence and additional medical reports every five years under the age of 46, every three years between 46-64 and annually if older than 65 years... The Canadian government plans to mandate electronic log books for bus and truck drivers by late next year to enforce limits on how long they can be behind the wheel and how much time they must rest between shifts...
(Photo by Stan Behal/Toronto Sun - New commercial truckers in Ontario will be required to take entry-level training)   --  Toronto, ONT, CAN - The Toronto Sun, by ANTONELLA ARTUSO - OCT 22, 2016

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Oct 19, 2016

FEMALE TRUCKER LIFE * Canada: She loves to drive trucks

* Ontario - Female truck driver loves her life on the road

--- Valeska Riveros isn't your typical truck driver. She is just about as tall as the door handle on her 18-wheel big rig. But Riveros, 37, says life on the road has given her a feeling of freedom, security, and independence that she's never known before... "I love this job," said Riveros, who works for Challenger Motor Freight Inc. "I don't know how I didn't do this before" ... Riveros came to trucking after spending about 10 years working in Kitchener at the Schneider's meat packing plant. When that factory closed, she was offered a job in Hamilton at the new, amalgamated Maple Leaf factory. For Riveros, the work was monotonous and unfulfilling — and she was getting paid $3 less an hour... 
(Photo by Gary Yokoyama,The Hamilton Spectator: Valeska Riveros in the cab of her 2015 Volvo truck) -- Hamilton, ONT, USA - Hamilton Spectator, by Emma Reilly - Oct 18, 2016

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Sep 21, 2016

TRUCKS' PERMIT ON LINE * Canada

* British Columbia - Trucks coming to B.C. will be able to get permits online


--- Transportation Minister, Todd Stone, has announced an expedited permitting system for the province's trucking industry... The online-based system is called 'onRouteBC,' and is touted to reduce wait times for trucking companies... Stone says the current permit application system results in wait times before truckers can receive their permits, but in the new system, truckers will often be issued their permits immediately... onRouteBC will be available by October 3... 
(Photo: Truck on BC roads)   --   Kamloops, BC, CAN - CFJC - 19 Sept 2016

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Sep 20, 2016

HOT LANES FIRST * Canada

* Ontario - HOT lanes debut in Canada


--- Ontario opened Canada's first High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes today, providing a new 16.5-kilometer travel option for 500 solo drivers who won a random draw and forked over $180 for a permit to drive the new lanes without a passenger... But don’t expect to see any trucks in the new lanes, at least not legally. The HOT lanes have a vehicle weight limit of just 4,500 kilograms, or about 10,600 lbs... The HOT lanes run on the QEW in both directions, from Trafalgar Rd. in Oakville to Guelph Line in Burlington, Ontario. It’s all part of a pilot program expected to last for two to four years... If you’re caught using the HOT lanes without a permit, you may be fined or issued a penalty. Fines range from $250 to $2,500... 
Toronto, ONT, CAN — Today's Trucking -- Sep 15, 2016

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Jun 29, 2016

VOLVO * Canada - To pay $ 4,86M for a truck crash

* British Columbia - Volvo ordered to pay $4.8 million to Canadian couple after terrifying crash


--- A Canadian court has awarded more than $4.8 million to a husband-and-wife trucking team after finding in the couple’s favor that truck maker Volvo’s negligence contributed to their 2009 crash... The judgment from British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Barry Davies was published on June 23. It awards plaintiffs Amandeep Hans and his wife, Pavandeep, of Surrey, B.C., more than $4.86 million for the harm the couple suffered in their Jan. 31, 2009, crash on the Trans-Canada Highway in Manitoba. The province also sued Volvo and was awarded nearly $200,000 to cover medical costs... According to the judgment, the couple was returning home from a long trip that took them into the U.S. and eastern Canada. At about 10 p.m. near Falcon Lake, the truck – a 2009 Volvo 780 – lost all electrical power, including headlights, interior lights and power steering... Court records indicate Amandeep Hans screamed “What happened? What happened?” and then “We are going to die … we are going to die,” as the trailer began to sway uncontrollably and jackknifed on the highway. The trailer came fully around and struck the cab just behind the driver’s door, forcing the truck off the road and into a ditch where it came to rest on the passenger side... Pavandeep Hans, who was lying in the sleeper berth at the time of the crash, managed to unbuckle her husband and drag him out of the vehicle. Although not seriously wounded, court records indicate that Amandeep was in a state of shock and that in the seven years since the crash he has suffered from a debilitating case of post-traumatic stress disorder... The couple’s lawsuit alleged Volvo was negligent in “designing, manufacturing and installing” a critical cab positive terminal electrical connection, the failure of which caused the truck’s entire electrical system to shut down and the vehicle to subsequently crash... In a response filed with the court, Volvo admitted the collision was caused by a loose nut on the cab positive terminal but denied the plaintiffs established that the Swedish-based motor company was negligent in the design, manufacture or installation of the connection. The company also argued that the husband and wife were overstating the extent of the psychological injuries sustained by Amandeep Hans following the crash... The judge, however, concluded that Amandeep Hans’ PTSD was caused by the crash and that Volvo was negligent in installing the equipment, which caused the power failure. The power failure was attributed to the loose nut not being tightened “to the requisite torque value when the truck left the factory” ... The pair had been driving as a team since June 2005. They purchased the 2009 Volvo 780 in December 2007. The truck developed electrical problems, including a total electrical system shutdown on July 4, 2008. Court records indicate the electrical problems persisted until the Manitoba crash... 
(Photo: Hwy closed from Falcon Lake to Ontario Border)  --   Vancouver, BC, Canada - Land Line, by Greg Grisolano - 27 June 2016

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Jun 1, 2016

FRACKING / TRUCKING PROJECTS * Canada: NOT FOR THIS YEAR

* Alberta's boom goes bust

-- This was supposed to be the busy season at Marvan Transport. Brian Smith has managed the fleet long enough to know that. He and his coworkers enjoyed six-figure salaries for years, hauling loads of hydraulic acid for fracking projects that tapped into previously unreachable pockets of gas and oil... Not this year. All five trucks were parked against the fence even before Fort McMurray began to burn. The fleet slashed rates 35% and is still not securing bids. The competitors running for cheaper are only doing so because drivers are being paid a percentage of revenue rather than hourly wages... The Mullen Group – the largest provider of specialized transportation for Western Canada’s oil and gas industry – has laid off more than 1,400 people... All told, cheap oil has sacrificed 100,000 jobs, $60 billion in earnings and $33 billion in capital investments, with most of those losses in Alberta, says CEO Murray K. Mullen... But the job losses hit him the hardest. Those are the “biggest human tragedy,” he said during a presentation at the recent Truck World trade show. They are the people sometimes forgotten by those who think just a few rich “oil guys” are paying the price....

- Some of those who decided to shed -equipment holdings have turned to Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, which operates under a firm rule: Everything sells. And there is plenty on hand for the highest bidder. About 10,600 pieces of equipment moved through the company’s sprawling Edmonton complex in late April, easily setting a sales record and eclipsing the previous April’s numbers by about 35%... Trucks dominated most of the sales on the opening day, when close to 10,000 bidders had already registered for a piece of the action. Equipment such as cranes, rock catchers, and trailers followed... But Wall stresses that most of the sales have nothing to do with outright bankruptcies. Many of the sellers are just divesting assets to support other activities. The fleets are still there. Just smaller. “Some people use these market changes as reasons to trigger a personal decision: ‘I’ve had enough. I’m tired. I’ve made a lot of money in my last 10 years. It’s a good time to retire,’” he adds...

* The speed of the transactions during trucks'auction


- Auctioneers’ record-setting auction is shocking when you consider the money changing hands. A truck rolls up the ramp as the auctioneer describes what’s on display. The bidders, resting in their orange stadium-style seats, review notes in the massive coil-bound books filled with information on every item. Others watch the action online, knowing their bids are just a click away... It typically takes less than two minutes for the bids to finish, depending on the prices. A 2013 tri-drive International Paystar sells for $60,000. Its counterpart, with about 6,000 extra kilometers on the odometer, goes for $57,000... Ultimately, the market prices usually prevail... You bring them in with the allure of a potential bargain.” Bargain-basement prices are admittedly few and far between, but they do happen, says Randy Wall, president of Ritchie Bros’ Canadian business. “That’s what keeps people coming back.” ... 

Edmonton, Alberta, CAN - Today's Trucking, by John G. Smith - 31 May 2016 

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May 16, 2016

IGNITION LOCKS in TRUCKS * Canada - Checking alcohol-free breath sample free

* PEI - Atlantic provinces buy 1,000 alcohol ignition locks

--- The governments of Canada’s four Atlantic Provinces have completed a joint procurement process for 1,000 alcohol-screening ignition-interlock devices to fight impaired driving on the region’s highways... The deal was announced May 2 under a five-year joint-procurement initiative between each province and Alcolock Canada of Toronto, the company providing the ignition devices... Atlantic Canadians install the alcohol-screening devices as part of driver licence reinstatement following a conviction for impaired driving. Once installed in a vehicle, these devices prevent it from being started and driven unless the driver can provide an alcohol-free breath sample free. The use of these devices is typically imposed by courts or voluntarily assumed by a driver as part of conditions following a suspension for an impaired driving conviction. The costs of installing and monitoring will be paid by the individuals involved... 
(Photo: Volvo Trucks was the first truck maker in the world to introduce an alcohol-screening ignition lock as an aftermarket accessory in 2002)   --  Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island — Today's Trucking - May 11, 2016

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Apr 27, 2016

TRUCKERS UNLIMITED * Canada: by 'Women Unlimited'

* Nova Scotia - 'There's no stopping us': Women breaking down barriers in trucking industry



 --- A group of Nova Scotia women are breaking down barriers in an industry traditionally dominated by men... The women are training to enter the trucking industry as part of 'Women Unlimited', a Nova Scotia Community College program that introduces women to opportunities in trades... Tammy Tortola says it's the "freedom" of driving on the open road that has attracted her to the industry... She said the idea that only men could drive long haul trucks is simply a stereotype that needs to be put to rest... Trucking school recruiter Emily Stokes said only three per cent of truck drivers currently on the road are female... Some of the women admit that they were worried their gender might be a barrier to entering the industry... 
Halifax, NS, CAN - CTVNews - April 26, 2016

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Feb 28, 2016

CUTTING TRUCK TURN TIMES * Canada: A Vancouver port's drayage initative

* British Columbia - An action plan to reduce truck wait times


-- Port Metro Vancouver’s 14-point action plan to reduce truck wait times, improve terminal fluidity and ensure compensatory earnings for the approximately 1,700 drayage truck drivers that serve Canada’s largest container port is celebrating its two-year milestone with dramatically reduced turn times... The complex but creative port drayage program is credited with having reduced the average truck visit time, from the queue outside the arrival gate until the trucker is processed through the out gate, to 38 minutes. During the tumultuous winter of 2013-14, truck visits of more than one hour were the rule... The rapid turn times provide a solid foundation for further development of the action plan. The key advancement that the port authority hopes to roll out by early 2017 will be a single electronic portal through which truckers will have visibility into container availability at each of the four container terminals... Known as Common Data Interface, the portal will help terminals plan and assign their labor and equipment requirements to improve the delivery of containers to truckers. At the same time, CDI should enhance truckers’ revenue potential by making it easier to drop off outbound containers or empties and pick up inbound loads during each visit, a practice known as a dual transaction... 
(Photo: Deltaport, Port Metro Vancouver)  --  Vancouver, BC, Canada - JOC, by Bill Mongelluzzo - Feb 25, 2016

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Feb 17, 2016

MINIMUM RATES FOR PORT TRUCKERS * Canada: Lawsuit

* BC - Companies claim government wrongfully turning back time on

-- A group of trucking companies is taking the British Columbia container trucking commissioner and the B.C. government to court, claiming they were shut out of discussions that resulted in new minimum rates being retroactively applied for port trucking services as part of a review designed to quell the labour disruption at the ports in early 2014... The companies claim that the Container Trucking Act and other regulations don’t authorize the establishment of minimum rates that apply to trucking services provided before the act came into force. The spat began when both unionized and non-unionized truckers withdrew services to the ports in February 2014... The trucking companies seek declarations that the Container Trucking Act doesn’t authorize retroactive application of minimum rates for services provided before the act was implemented, and that certain sections of the Container Trucking Regulation are void... The petition has not been tested or proven in court and the respondents hadn’t filed a response by press time...
 (Photo: Container trucks leaving Port Metro Vancouver: the port's container traffic is projected to triple by 2030) -- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Business Vancouver - 16 Feb 2016

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Feb 15, 2016

TACKLING TRUCKERS' FATIGUE * Canada

* Quebec - Canada: To require bus and truck drivers to log hours electronically

-- After years of study, the federal government says it will implement new safety regulations in two years that are aligned with U.S. efforts to tackle fatigue among truck and bus drivers... Drivers will be required to electronically record their hours on the road, says Transport Canada, marking a change from the mandatory paper logs that have been in use since the 1930s... The regulations would cover cross-border and interprovincial travel and should be in place when similar rules in the U.S. come into force in late 2017, Transport Canada says... 
(Photo: Transport trucks attempt to drive through snowy conditions in B.C. on Jan. 3, 2015) -- Montreal, QBC, CAN - The Canadian Press/CTV News, by Ross Marowits - February 15, 2016

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Jan 18, 2016

ENDING STRIKE * Canada - Deal amidst TRUCKERS & Harbour Link

* B.C. - Vancouver port truckers, company reach deal

-- Unionized container truck drivers and Harbour Link Container Services have reached a deal, after the truckers went on strike saying the company was shorting them on retroactive pay... Unifor, which represents the truck drivers, says the agreement means that only one trucking company — Port Transport — remains behind picket lines... Harbour Link released a statement this weekend that the company “is absolutely committed to doing the right thing by its drivers” and would fulfil its retroactive pay obligations...
(Photograph by: Mark van Manen/PNG: Unionized container truck drivers and Harbour Link Container Services have reached a deal, after the truckers went on strike, alleging the company was shorting them on retroactive pay) -- Vancouver, BC, CAN - The VANCOUVER SUN, by TIFFANY CRAWFORD - January 17, 2016

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Sep 2, 2015

TRUCKING, STATE OWNED * Canada - Tlicho Gov't increases ownership in Ventures West trucking company

* North West Territories - Tlicho Investment Corp will own 90%, Denesoline Corp 10%, making Ventures West completely aboriginal-owned

-- The Tlicho Government is increasing its ownership of the Ventures West Transport trucking company in the N.W.T. ... The government-owned Tlicho Investment Corporation will sign a deal Wednesday upping its ownership to 90 per cent from 60 per cent. Lutsel K'e's Denesoline Corporation owns the other 10 per cent of Ventures West... Wednesday's deal will make it a completely aboriginal-owned company... The Tlicho Investment Corporation is buying its extra stake from Glenn Bauer, one of Ventures West's founders... Ventures West has been a big earner for the Tlicho, generating half of the investment corporation's revenue. The company has hauled bulk fuel to all three of the territory's diamond mines via the Tibbitt to Contwoyto ice road... But in 2014 the company lost a fuel supply contract with one of the mines, Diavik, causing the investment corporation's share of money from that contract to drop by $1.7 million from the previous year... Since then, the company has won a contract to haul liquefied natural gas from Alberta and B.C. to Inuvik via the Dempster Highway... 
(Photo from CBC - A Ventures West truck heads out on the Tibbitt to Contwoyto ice road to the diamond mines. On Wednesday, Tlicho Investment Corporation will sign a deal to own 90 per cent of the company. Lutsel K'e's Denesoline Corporation owns the other 10 per cent)   --   Tlicho, NT, Canada - CBC News, by Guy Quenneville - Aug 31, 2015

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Apr 23, 2015

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * Canada: Fleet age falls

* Ontario - Trucks ‘Leaving the Industry’

  --  The ongoing shortage of qualified truckload drivers and subpar industry profitability that discourages banks from lending for fleet expansion is keeping a tight lid on organic capacity growth, says the CEO of truckload and logistics giant Werner Enterprises Inc., Derek J. Leathers, attending at the NASSTRAC conference and transportation expo in Orlando the truckload industry faces unprecedented challenges to adding capacity despite remarkable efforts to reduce the average fleet age... The skyrocketing cost of buying a truck has also contributed to carrier reluctance to grow their fleet sizes. As a result carriers have “never faced a more difficult time” adding equipment. Things are unlikely to change until driver demographics improve and profit margins expand in a sustainable manner, he said... Recent data showing record numbers of orders for new trucks is not translating into more equipment on the road. Many of those vehicles will continue to be used to replace aging equipment... 
(Photo: New-trucks delivery) - Ontario, ONT, CAN - Ontario Trucking Ass., by Derek J. Leathers, Werner boss - April 20, 2015

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Feb 26, 2015

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * Canada: Surrey truckers to have their day in court

* B.C. - Federal court judge will hear arguments from lawyers representing 26 transport companies

 -- Truckers barred from Metro Vancouver ports are celebrating a small victory with news a federal court judge will hear their legal challenge... In what is believed to be unprecedented for the trucking industry, 26 companies representing over 500 experienced container truckers will receive a judicial review of Port Metro Vancouver's decision to overhaul the Transport License System (TLS)... Up to 80 companies, most of them operating in Surrey, were barred from the TLS system on Feb. 1 due to an ongoing overhaul of the trucking industry. An estimated $60 million of trucking equipment is now sitting idle and the drivers left scrambling to make ends meet... Michelle Mann, a dispatcher for Surrey's Safe Way Trucking, said the new TLS was developed without transparency, accountability or consistency, nor were the companies provided with reasons for their suspension... The suspension impacts more than just drivers, leaving mechanics, dispatchers and admin staff out of work and companies forced to shut their doors and tell their clients to find somebody else... (Photo: ADRIAN MACNAIR - Surrey truckers protest along Deltaport Way during last March's container truck strike) - Surrey,BC,Canada - SURREY NOW, by ADRIAN MACNAIR -FEBRUARY 19, 2015

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