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CTA Chief Says New Trucking Industry Emerging In Canada
The Trucker

OTTAWA, Can. -- A new trucking industry is emerging from the battleground of economic deregulation, according to David Bradley, chief executive officer of the Canadian Truck Alliance (CTA).

Bradley said the Canadian trucking industry is at a watershed.

"We do not seek to turn the clock back to the days before deregulation," he said, "but we also must move on. The industry can no longer sustain increases in costs, and resolve the shortage of truck drivers, and meet society's demand for safer, more environmentally-friendly transportation, let alone earn a decent return on investment, without a widespread overhaul of current rate structures."

Bradley, in a recent statement, also said the CTA is calling for the immediate adoption of the draft regulations for a new federal regulation and national standard governing truck driver Hours of Service, which was approved last year by the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation & Highway Safety.

And, in a landmark decision, the CTA, which has more than 4,500 member companies across Canada, is calling for the mandatory use of electronic on-board recording (EOBR) technology to ensure compliance with the new rules.

In a statement issued to Canadian government officials, Bradley said that CTA has no quarrel with proposed new restrictions on daily/weekly driving times and a 24 percent increase in daily rest time as compared to the existing rules.

Bradley said that by agreeing to the new HOS regulations, the industry will be giving up some of its flexibility and its productivity for certain shipments, especially long hauls and multi-stop deliveries. So, he is also calling on the industry's customers, the shippers and consignees, to work with the trucking companies and their drivers to make the supply chain more efficient by reducing the time drivers are forced to wait to be loaded or unloaded.

"Carriers and drivers will be even less tolerant of delays," he said. And, they deserve to be paid for delays and the extra services we provide. They deserve to be treated with respect and understanding by shippers and consignees.

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