Cavalcade of trucks will travel from Surrey to downtown
THE United Truckers Association (UTA) will make a statement on Canada Day by taking part in a truck rally that will show opposition to the Port of Vancouver’s current truck age replacement program.
The UTA said it is protesting against the Port of Vancouver for two key reasons:
1) The unfair targeting of container truckers accessing marine terminals, where no other class of trucker in British Columbia is subject to such replacement requirements;
2) The devotion to a system using Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF), which is widely gaining a reputation as a fire hazard that is unsafe for drivers.
A lawsuit was filed in 2019 by California trucking companies against the California Air Resources Board over the unsafe nature of DPF. Exhaust fires caused by the DPF “regeneration” process have led to DPF being banned in many countries in Europe and a number of lawsuits and investigations into their role as a fire accelerant in accidents, the UTA said.
The unwillingness of the Port of Vancouver to even consider any alternatives points to a deeper agenda against owner operators, according to UTA spokesperson Gagan Singh.
“The fact that no other commercial trucks in BC are facing these type of replacement requirements demonstrates how UTA members are being targeted, as they have been since 2014,” said Singh. “Further, the systems are not proven as safe, and we suspect [they’re] the cause of two deaths that the UTA has had to endure over the past few years.”
Mohinderpal Singh Sekhon was killed in Kamloops just over two weeks ago due to an uncontrollable fire that occurred following a highway accident. Rajwinder Singh Sidhu was killed in June 2019 in an accident leading up to Deltaport, where by the time emergency services arrived, there was nothing left of the truck due to a massive blaze.
The UTA’s protest rally will not only be a message to the Port of Vancouver, but also to local MPs who our organization has engaged for many years.
“History shows that the previous Conservative government did make decisions that directly impacted daily operations of the Port of Vancouver, and today’s Liberal government has the same opportunity,” noted Singh. “We are tired of being told that the government cannot get involved with the Port of Vancouver, because we need intervening action immediately.”
More and more stricter environmental regulations favour the large trucking corporations who can afford big fleets. They can afford to put another truck on the road when one is in the shop because of a faulty diesel particulate filter (DPF) or emission control problem. The small business trucker with their own truck cannot afford to do that, it makes more sense for them to use a more reliable older truck without failure prone emission controls. New trucks require extra care such as taking out the DPF and heat treating it in an incinerator or kiln for 12 hours to completely get rid of built up diesel soot. This saves the trucks regeneration system which often cannot properly clean the filter especially if the truck is making short trips.
Truckers drove over the Granville st bridge today into downtown blaring their horns constantly which seemed like forever. This is the wrong way to protest. This was NOT a protest but rather an assault on the residents of downtown. We have children and pets, some of which have serious medical issues. This was an incredibly damaging act. I completely condemn the actions taken by truckers today. There are other ways to make their voices heard that don’t involve torturing small animals and children.
All for protesting..
But how about don’t have drivers endlessly blow their horns through the gastown residential area. Not helping the cause. Not very bright.