Vancouver, BC - The Vancouver Port Authority (VPA) has announced a new trucking policy, including a new licence agreement, in support of its strategic trucking program. The new policy will introduce new and more rigorous licensing, audit and enforcement provisions that will apply to container trucks and container truck operations at the Port of Vancouver.

"The VPA's new licence agreement will give our port a greater role in ensuring that trucking companies comply with the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that was developed by Vince Ready in the aftermath of the 2005 container trucking dispute," said Captain Gordon Houston, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Port Authority. "This new policy supports the VPA's goal to develop a more stable model for the container-trucking sector in the Lower Mainland."

Policy details include:

• The VPA is now requiring all trucking companies that transport containers to and from the port to apply for a new licence that contains the new requirements. All existing licences are valid until January 15, 2007. After that date the terms of the new licence will apply. Any company that currently has a licence is eligible to apply for a new licence.
  
• Effective immediately, the VPA will only accept applications for new licences from companies that transport containers to and from the lower mainland ports exclusively with company-owned equipment and employee drivers.
  
• Any trucking company that does not conduct business at the lower mainland ports for 90 consecutive calendar days will lose its licence. Long-haul carriers will be exempt from this provision.
  
• All trucking companies applying for a licence must provide the VPA a signed copy of the MOA. Any company that fails to do so will not be eligible for a new licence. New provisions will provide for the investigation, inspection and auditing of company records to ensure compliance with the MOA.

"The new trucking policy will increase stability in the container trucking sector by ensuring that companies do not continue to undercut each other to the point of another market failure," said Houston. In 2005, container truck drivers walked off the job saying they were not able to make ends meet. "The race to the bottom has to end if we are to restore stability to container trucking operations in the lower mainland," Houston said.

The Port of Vancouver is Canada's largest and most diversified port, annually trading $43 billion in goods with more than 90 countries. Port activities generate 69,200 jobs in total, $4 billion in Gross Domestic Product and $8.9 billion in economic output.

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For more information, please contact:

Anne McMullin,
Director, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs
Vancouver Port Authority
(604) 665-9069 (office)
(604) 665-9073 (fax)
(778) 231-6978 (cellular)
anne.mcmullin@portvancouver.com

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