BCTA followed up an in-person meeting with the BC Container Trucking Commissioner on September 4, 2108, by reiterating our key concerns regarding reviews of the rates set in the Container Trucking Regulation, Part 4, as well as a recommendation for all stakeholders – government, port and drayage carriers – to conduct a rapid review to improve cost competitiveness for all members of the supply chain.

The Commissioner met with BCTA’s Intermodal Committee on September 4 to consider the Container Trucking Regulation Rate Review Submission Summary Report, which came out August 8, 2018, and to review next steps in the process. The Summary Report includes recommendations from stakeholders received during a consultation carried out May-late June 2018 (with an extension). At our meeting, and in a follow-up letter to the Commissioner, BCTA made the following points about rate and remuneration reviews generally, as well as two specific recommendations about the review process as follows:

Rate and remuneration reviews should occur regularly and be underpinned by:

• publicly available/provided data such as compensation studies, comparisons with other North American ports, exchange rate changes, growth/decline in volume of container trucking activity by port by mode of transportation (e.g., truck, rail) and so on; and
• productive consultation with industry (e.g., BCTA/Intermodal Committee, Truck Licensing System carriers, drivers, independent operators, etc.).

And further:

• rate reviews should not include automatic rate changes or be referenced to a collective agreement or an index (e.g., Consumer Price Index); and
• any recommended rate change should not be retroactive and must include an appropriate notice period (not less than 90 days) to provide appropriate time to implement any amended rates.

We also pointed out that supply chain competitiveness at the Port of Vancouver has become increasingly challenging and must be central to all drayage discussions going forward, since the marine transportation sector can choose among ports. To consider how to address this, we urged the OBCCTC to encourage Transport Canada, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and other port stakeholders to conduct a rapid review in support of improving cost competitiveness for the entire supply chain, rather than its components.

Finally, we also confirmed that BCTA does not support “implementation of a geographically targeted sectoral bargaining solution imposed by government,” on the basis that it is out of scope of the Regulation, will be detrimental to the Asia Pacific Gateway, and does not address the original reason for the work disruptions in 2014.

Please click here for a copy of our letter. 

Additional resources

• Container Trucking Regulation Rate Review Submission Summary Report
• July 13, 2018, Bulletin article, “BCTA Comments on TOR for OBCCTC Part 4 Review”

The Commissioner is considering our submission as well as those highlighted in the Summary Report above for his report to government. We’ll provide an update.