Rural politicians in Saskatchewan are at loggerheads with the provincial trucking association over new legislation that cracks down on both shippers and carriers who load overweight trucks.
The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities passed a resolution at its annual convention Nov. 7 to oppose the practice of ticketing overweight trucks as the result of findings at elevator weigh scales.
But the Saskatchewan Trucking Association said if rural governments don’t support the tougher new proposals that also give more power to enforcement officers, they should be prepared to pay more for road damage.
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“If Saskatchewan doesn’t enact this legislation we will be faced with rapid deterioration of the municipal road structure which SARM ought to be concerned about,” said Warren Smith, general manager of the Saskatchewan Trucking Association.
Nearly one quarter of all commercial trucking in the province is in contravention of provincial weight restrictions, according to the association. But there are too many roads and not enough transport cops to enforce the rules, Smith said.
The new legislation places responsibility on the shipper, as well as the carrier, to not knowingly overload a truck and gives enforcement officers power to audit weight reports at any facility that ships or receives a load. Fines can run from $300 to $1,000, depending on how overweight the truck is. Ontario and Alberta have such legislation.
Smith said the Saskatchewan situation has become a problem for truckers who risk losing business if they refuse to haul overweight loads.
He estimated shippers can save $10 a tonne by overloading trucks.
“The shipper enjoys the $10 a tonne benefit and the municipality ends up paying the cost of additional damage to the infrastructure,” Smith said.
“SARM has to decide which side of the ball game they want to be on in this issue. If they fail to support shipper responsibility amendments, they must accept the realization that they will have to fork over the money to fix roads.”
But Abe Warkentin, reeve of the rural municipality of Morris who brought the resolution to SARM, said ticketing farmers based on weight records recorded at elevators is only a cash cow for the provincial government and a ploy by the trucking association to get more business from farmers.
Money is main concern
“I’m not against stopping the road impact but all they’re interested in is getting as much money as possible,” Warkentin said from his central Saskatchewan farm.
He estimated that because of design almost all two-axle trucks hauling to elevators are overweight.
“This would force the little trucks off the road,” he said. “They (trucking companies) would get all the business unless you’re big enough to buy your own semi.”
Warkentin said the government should create a system encouraging farmers to haul grain during winter when the ground is frozen.
“You can take a little truck and fill it right up to the top and not hurt the road at all,” he said.
John Meed, policy manager for the ministry of highways transport compliance branch, said SARM’s concerns could prompt further consultation into the new legislation, which is part of an overall rewrite of the the Highways and Transportation Act.
New legislation could be introduced by next spring, Meed said.
