Union seeks two-year reprieve on Port of Vancouver ban on trucks more than 10 years old
As of February 1, the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, will ban all container trucks older than 10 years from port grounds. The ban will “force hundreds of container trucks out of the Metro Vancouver port transportation system,” according to Unifor, the union that represents truck drivers at the port. This “will cause chaos in a system already under unique pressure from the pandemic, flooding and supply chain issues,” says the union.
Unifor is looking for action on this issue from the federal government. Jerry Dias, Unifor national president, said, “Without action from Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, gridlock will overtake Vancouver’s ports.”
The union is demanding “consultations about the fairest way to transition the trucks without causing major financial hardship for truck drivers,” it said in a statement. It hopes to achieve “a two-year pause to the phase-out and access to financial assistance” for owner-operators.
“As of February 1, the Port of Vancouver, on behalf of Authorities and policy implementation, will sabotage goods movement by means of banning all container trucks older than 10 years from port grounds.”
Oddgeir