THE BC Trucking Association (BCTA) on Monday notified participants on the success of their applications for equipment incentives for purchasing fuel-efficiency technology.

The announcement came after the completion of the first CleanBC Heavy-Duty Vehicle Efficiency (HDVE) Program. Companies participating in the CleanBC HDVE Program Course were eligible to apply for incentives that help purchase fuel-efficiency equipment and technology that reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Funding for this program is provided by the Province of B.C. and all companies that met submission requirements received a portion of the $1.4 million available this year.

The CleanBC HDVE Program, which launched in October 2019, provides a rebate of 30 to 50 percent on eligible equipment for companies that meet all requirements. This first offering, which featured a schedule of the pre-requisite course in Langley, Kamloops and Prince George, saw the following highlights:

· Pre-requisite one-day courses were provided to 137 participants across 117 companies that, in total, represent:

o 15,849 heavy-duty vehicles

o 6,677 company drivers

o 6,978 owner / operator drivers

· Program equipment incentives were 33 percent oversubscribed for the first year.

“We expected interest in the CleanBC HDVE Program would be high, but it’s still gratifying to see the trucking industry’s commitment to reducing GHG emissions in action,” said Dave Earle, BCTA President and CEO. “BCTA applauds the Province for its crucial funding support for reducing both the risks in adopting new technology and emissions. That’s a powerful combination. Based on results for this year, we expect to see more carriers take advantage of the second CleanBC HDVE Program offering, which will get underway shortly.”

BCTA, which administers the CleanBC HDVE Program on behalf of the Province, accepted applications for the program equipment incentives from February 3 to 21. The majority of applicants met requirements for the fuel-efficiency devices and technology for which they applied and will receive rebates upon proof of purchase and installation. BCTA will distribute funds from the CleanBC HDVE Program to the following regions:

· 17 percent to carriers in Northern BC

· 1 percent to carriers on Vancouver Island

· 73 percent in the Lower Mainland

· 6 percent in the Cariboo

· 4 percent in the Thompson-Okanagan

“BCTA received a lot of input on this program from participants and will review the course for improvements, as well as the list of eligible technology – both with input from the Province,” said Cory Paterson, BCTA Vice President. “We couldn’t be more pleased about the results to date and are committed to reaching an even greater number of BC carriers going forward.”

The Clean BC HDVE Program features a pre-requisite one-day course, offered free to motor carriers that have one or more heavy-duty commercial vehicles (a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight greater than 11,794 kg) licensed and insured to operate in B.C., conduct business in B.C., and with a terminal located in B.C.. The course covers how to create a Fuel Management Program for any size of fleet, incorporating methods to improve fuel economy, including developing a baseline of fuel consumption to assist in measuring progress.

Successful participants are eligible to apply for CleanBC Heavy-duty Vehicle Efficiency Program Incentives, featuring rebates on the purchase and installation of qualifying fuel-saving equipment.

BCTA has been a long-term advocate for outreach and incentives for carriers to adopt fuel efficiency technology and practices that have reliable and documented results in reducing fuel usage and GHG emissions.

For more information on CleanBC, visit https://cleanbc.gov.bc.ca/.

See the CleanBC Heavy-duty Vehicle Efficiency Program Guide (January 2020) for additional details, including the list of qualifying equipment and related incentives for the first program offering.