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Trucking Association Preps for AGM

By 250 News

Monday, April 03, 2006 04:01 AM



The Prince George Trucking Association meets this evening at 7 at the Civic Centre for its Annual general Meeting,  It has more than the election of officers on its agenda.

There are some major issues to be discussed, not the least of which is the National Safety Code regulations that will come into effect on the first of January  2007.  There have been efforts to  gain  input from truckers on their thoughts on  daily driving time limits, service time and time off.   

The NSC is looking at 13 hours driving time plus one hour "in service" per day, maximum 70 hours per week, with 36 consecutive hours of rest every seven day week. The BC Forest Safety Council, with input from different industry sectors and watchful of the safety aspects of changing hours, is looking at 13 hours of driving pluse 2 "in service" hours per day, with a maximum of 80 hours per week, and 30 consecutive hours of rest in every seven day week.

Trucking safety, particularly as it applies to logging operations,  has been the subject of  a great deal of attention this past year.  There were 43  drivers killed  in 2005.  The Steelworkers are now pushing for a special independent inquiry into safety in the forest industry.   The union would like that  probe to include an examination of  mills, logging, and trucking.
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Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 04:01 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Comment Posted by: fedup on April 3 2006 8:50 AM
15 hours a day is what it takes for these guys to make a living why can't they pay them enough they can make a living working 8 to 10 hours a day like most people.I wonder how safe we would all be driving home from work after 15 hours at work.Not to mention the fact that these guys probably have repairs when they get home which doesn't get added in,if they have kids thats 2 hours of family time,dinner and some time to settle down before bed and they have probably been up for 18 to 19 hours.That does not leave much time for sleep and that goes on 5 maybe 6 days a week but nobody seems to think this is a problem.
Comment Posted by: fedup on April 3 2006 9:35 AM
Just a note as to the wages log truck drivers make around $400 a day which is 26.66 per hour no over time.Now if you work that out the way most of us get paid thats $19 for 8hrs plus your time and a half and double time so if these guy work a regular shift of 8 hrs thats $152 a day for five months laid off for two back for four then laid off again.Thats about 27,360 a year this is why these guy are pushing it so hard.Drive a highway truck such as a lumber trucks or frieght trucks bringing us our daily supplies and that wage goes down as low as $12 maybe lower?This is why these guy work 15 hours a day.I understand thier is a lot of folks out thier working for less but my point is if we are really conserned about safty we would pay these guys a wage they could support thier familys on and not have to work 70-80 hours a week.
Comment Posted by: owl on April 3 2006 10:08 AM
Why am I not surprised that is what the Safety Council is looking at. They are just another bureaucratic mess.

It is time for a cleanup in the area of safety in this province. WCB, or whatever name they go by for optics, needs to be held accountable for not doing their work properly. But that is not a popular notion in government, so we will just have more of the same.