Industry concerns prompt delay of truck retirement plan at Port of Vancouver
A Vancouver Fraser Port Authority initiative to take older trucks off the road to help the environment has been deferred for “no less than” 90 days.
The delay is a result of what the port authority is calling “concerns” from the community and industry at large.
Over the coming weeks, the port authority will also be providing the industry and stakeholders to continue to offer feedback on how the program is implemented.
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Called the Rolling Truck Age Program, the port plans to introduce a limit on the age of trucks able to serve the region.
The program dates prior to the delay. (Port of Vancouver)
This program was initially going to be implemented on February 1, but due to the concerns raised by the community and by the union representing them, that date has been moved to later this year.
“We commend and thank truck owners and companies for working with us on this important program, and we look forward to seeing this program deliver cleaner air for our communities,” reads a statement from Duncan Wilson, Vice President of Environment and External Affairs with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
“We are thus postponing our program start date slightly, to provide some additional time and engagement opportunities for industry, and to hopefully mitigate some of those challenges.”
The statement also highlighted some of the key concerns from the port.
“Old, diesel-powered trucks are a big source of particulate matter, which has been known to cause cancer,” said Wilson.
“As a region, we still have some very old container trucks, some more than 20 years old, serving the port.”
Wilson suggests that as a result of imposing this program, the region could see a 93% reduction in particular matter from the fleet that currently serves the port.
“That’s a big step forward for clean air and healthy communities.”
Unifor was demanding a two-year pause on the program, so this deferral may fall short of their demands.
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