Terry Shaw, Executive Director, Manitoba Trucking Association

The Manitoba Trucking Association (MTA) has hit the ground running in the new year, and we have no plans to slow down any time soon.

Normally, there is a bit of a lull at the start of the year but that certainly hasn’t been the case for 2021. As of January 1, 2021, the Province of Manitoba increased its biodiesel mandate from 2% to 3.5% and plans to further increase it to 5% at the start of 2022. We have met with several members of government and the Minister of Conservation and Climate Sarah Guillemard on this issue. We have clearly outlined our concerns with the provincial biodiesel mandate (including potentially voided engine warranties, increased downtime resulting in higher maintenance costs, and higher blends in certain areas of the province over others in order to achieve the provincial average) and presented alternatives, such as a truck electrification project, that we are seeing in other regions. While we are looking forward to moving forward on alternative energy pilots and retrofit opportunities, we remain very concerned with the provincial biodiesel mandate.                                                                 

We have also been hard at work with advising members on various compliance issues, particularly the new workplace harassment and violence legislation that went into effect for federally-regulated companies on January 1, 2021. Even for those companies with a well-established safety program in place, there are several components of this new legislation to consider. RPM hosted a webinar in January, which took a deep-dive look into these new rules and how they will impact organizations.

Advocacy issues are always a priority at the MTA. Some of the items we have been working on include continued issues related to drivers being able to access services, driver training funding and the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program, vehicle weights and dimensions, and National Safety Code updates and reforms – particularly as they relate to the 2019 Office of the Auditor General’s Report on commercial vehicle oversight in Manitoba. Working with the CTA and other provincial trucking associations, we have also been handling concerns related to the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out and when drivers will be vaccinated, continued closure of FAST enrollment centres, and the ESDC scheduling exemptions.

The crew at RPM Trucking Industry Safety continue to develop and evolve the program. Earlier this year, the Safety Council met to review and update the strategic plan; we are hard at work implementing those changes. Our training calendar is once again full, with courses modified either for online training or smaller in-person groups – primarily for the first aid courses. Our advisors are also hard at it, working with program participants on maintenance audits, answering questions, and welcoming new carriers to the program. If you aren’t yet part of the RPM program, why not?

We did take some time out in January, though, to celebrate Manitoba’s trucking industry. Normally, we host our awards gala in the fall; however, like so many other events in 2020, we were unable to host an in-person event this year. While we are hopeful we can be together in 2021, being able to watch the event from the comfort of our homes on a cold January evening in Manitoba certainly had its advantages! Congratulations once again to all of the award winners and thank you to our event sponsors.

Of course, much of our work continues to be impacted by COVID-19 – whether that’s planning our own events, advocating on behalf of drivers, or dealing with any of the changes that arise due to this pandemic. While we enjoy seeing the glimmers of light at the end of this tunnel, with the vaccination roll-out, we know that there is still much work to be done.