Equipment dealers in Saskatchewan want SaskPower to ease its restrictions on how soon they can move tall equipment for repair.
John Schmeiser, CEO of the Western Equipment Dealers Association, said dealers in the province end up breaking the law because of the corporation’s rules.
The problem centres on equipment that is over the height limit of 18 feet six inches, or about 5.6 metres.
“If we have a combine that breaks down in a farmer’s field and it has a hopper extender on top of it, if we put that on a truck and transport it into the dealership to fix it, it takes us up to five days to get a permit before we can move it legally down the highway,” he said in an interview at the WEDA annual conference in Regina. “Then once we fix the combine, we have to wait another five days before we can transport it back to the farmer.”
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Schmeiser said no farmer wants those kinds of delays during harvest, but the issue arises constantly.
Manitoba Hydro issues blanket permits once a year.
“In Saskatchewan, SaskPower makes us apply for a permit each time we move (equipment) down the highway,” he said.
There is no need to change the height maximum, he added; just make the permit process easier.
Schmeiser said SaskPower should know where it has lines over a road and have that information in a database for quick accessibility.
“Our priority is always to service the customers,” he said. “This regulation gets in the way of doing this in a quick and efficient manner.”
Premier Brad Wall addressed the delegates representing about 1,000 dealerships in Western Canada and the United States and noted the request but made no promises.
He did quip, however, that if Manitoba can do something, then Saskatchewan can, too.
The province did move on another association request a couple of years ago when it allowed equipment to move on highways with just one pilot vehicle — as in Manitoba and Alberta — instead of two.
Schmeiser said that consistency has saved money for the dealers’ customers.
Contact :karen.briere@producer.com
