Trucking week - Trucking benefits all Canadians

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Published on Thursday, September 3, 2015

Banner file photo. Gladstone Transfer taking part in the 2015 Gladstone Fair Parade. 

By Kira Paterson

The Neepawa Banner

Whether we realize it or not, almost every product we consume has been brought here from elsewhere. Most products have, at some point in their journey, been moved along by the trucking industry. 

Terry Shaw, the executive director for the Manitoba Trucking Association, estimates trucking to be about a $2 billion a year industry. “It’s small, it’s large, it’s rural, it’s Winnipeg centric,” says Shaw. “Everywhere across the province has a need for trucks... Trucking is critical, not only to the provincial economy, but to our national economy.”

In the trucking industry, they are always working towards improving fuel efficiency. Not only is it important in cutting costs, but environmental impact is also a key concern. In development are several new technologies geared towards improving the fuel efficiency of trucks. Lift axles, which allows one of the axles to be lifted off the ground when carrying lighter loads, are designed to reduce friction on the road. By keeping  a set of wheels off the surface, it takes less energy to drive. Another technology that is being looked at is the 6x2 drive truck. Simply put, it’s like a two wheel drive car; the power is put only to one axle as opposed to all of them, like in a four wheel drive vehicle, saving energy and fuel. 

Many of these new technologies are still in testing as the regulators consider safety aspects and the possible damage to roads. Some may only be used by permit, but many are still not in regulations at all. Shaw says that MTA is trying to work with regulators to approve these new technologies.

Another focus of MTA is recruiting new drivers. They are working with Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) on a program that helps those wanting to get a job in trucking to get proper training and a job once they’ve finished their training. There was also a provincial bill put forward in August that is meant to help with the process of getting into the industry. Bill 18, the Certified Occupations Act, will ensure that Apprenticeship Manitoba will include entry level training that complies with the national occupational standard. “We’re glad to see that there is maybe a bit of a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to a tool to address the need, but the need is definitely still alive and well,” explains Shaw. “I don’t know that it will ever be resolved.”

We all know about the new speed limits in place for some of the highways in Manitoba, and many of us are very happy with being able to get where we want to go faster. For MTA, however, it is a major concern. “Safety is obviously first and foremost and any time you increase the speed limits there are some safety considerations,” Shaw says. With some carriers and in some provinces, they require a speed limiter within the vehicles themselves that will only allow them to go between 90 and 105 kilometres per hour, depending on the province’s regulations. When a slower moving vehicle is on a high speed highway, that can cause problems. It is also a concern for fuel efficiency, since higher speeds, like 110 kilometres per hour burns more fuel, which is the opposite of what the MTA is working towards. “Raising the speed limit was an item we did not think was in the province’s best interest,” concluded Shaw.

Trucking is important to every individual, but most of the time, we don’t think about it. National Trucking Week is a time to show our appreciation for this industry that supports us as consumers and the other industries that couldn’t exist without it.