Transport Committee on Nov. 4th, 2014

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

I'll call the meeting to order.

I'd like to thank and welcome Mr. Picard, who is in the room with us here. Also by video, we have Mr. Grant Mitchell and Mr. Michael Royer from the Westcan Group of Companies. We also have by video conference from Alberta Motor Transport Association, Mr. Richard Warnock.

Just in case we run into technical difficulties, I'm going to start with the witnesses appearing by video conference.

With that, Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Royer, you have 10 minutes between you. Carry on.

[Michael Royer, Vice President, Fleet Services, RTL-Westcan Group of Companies]

Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. We appreciate the opportunity to present before this committee.

I'll start off with a bit of an overview of the company and then get into some of the operational programs we have in place to deal with the safe handling of dangerous goods and the practices of the SMS.

RTL-Westcan is a bulk road carrier of various commodities throughout western Canada, Yukon, and Northwest Territories. The company has been in operation for 50 years, since 1964. We specialize in the safe transportation of bulk liquids, including refined petroleum fuels, hot asphalt, molten sulphur, acids, as well as liquified gases, including propane, butane, and anhydrous ammonia. Transportation of dry products includes ammonium nitrate, grain, fertilizer, salt, cement, and lime.

[Grant Mitchell]

The company operates out of 22 locations with head operations in Edmonton, Alberta. Ten of these locations have full service maintenance repair facilities for truck/tractor, tanker trailers, and other bulk product trailers. We also operate a 160-million-litre tank farm in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, that services winter road customers in that area.

Along with the tank farm operation in Yellowknife is our construction division specializing in civil and industrial construction projects. We have trans-load facilities at most of our locations, including bulk liquid rail/truck in Calgary, Alberta and Trail, BC. The customers we serve cover a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, energy, and mining.

Our fleet consists of over 600 class 8 highway tractors and 1,500 trailers capable of gross loads up to 63,500 kilograms. The tanker trailer fleet consists of over 500 TC406 tankers for petroleum. There are 350 TC331 pressure vessels for LPG and NH3 and approximately 150 TC406/407 for crude oil and condensate.

During the course of one year, our tractor tanker units will transport over 4.5 billion litres of refined petroleum fuels, 285 million litres of LPG products, and 192 million litres of NH3. On a yearly average, the fleet will transport goods in all types of driving conditions, averaging over 75 million kilometres

A number of our hauling routes are in remote areas. With Canada’s vast expanse, truck road transport is the only option to supply goods, including petroleum for vehicles and propane to heat homes.

The focus of our operations is based on safety and training, modern dispatch centres, equipment design, and specific preventative maintenance on the equipment hauling dangerous goods. We recognize that strong leadership involvement in safety practices is the cornerstone to protecting the safety and well-being of our employees and the environment, as well as the general public and the customers we serve.

Our safety management system promotes proactive prevention and the executive team ensures that the SMS is implemented and performing to requirements in all areas of the company. Along with the person managing the SMS, at all levels of management, supervisors, and the general workforce, there is a strong commitment to ensure the success of the program. In the event of an incident, an emergency response team is in place to mitigate the situation and prevent further harm to the people, environment, and property. Once the site is secure, there would be follow-up investigations and analysis to establish causes and corrective actions.

Prevention is a major part in the success of the SMS. Safety and training programs are in place to educate our drivers of highway transport equipment operated within RTL-Westcan. All newly hired drivers attend initial in-class training. This would include training in CPPI, TDG, WHMIS, and our SMS program to name a few.

A professional driver has to deal with their constantly changing workplace. Proper skills are necessary to deal with changing road conditions and a variety of loading and unloading sites in order to safely transfer the product being transported. RTL-Westcan has implemented two driving simulators to teach basic driving skills for highway transport trucks and to refresh specific skills, such as winter driving and rollover protection. Once initial in-class training is completed, then additional on the road training begins. A team of experienced driver trainers work with the drivers in-cab for an initial period, then periodically to ensure proper operation during scheduled performance reviews. Smith training principles are used to teach specific awareness skills for the actual driving of the vehicle. CarriersEdge e-learning modules are used for teaching specific recurring courses, again, such as TDG, WHMIS, CPPI, as well as other training required for transportation of dangerous goods.

Distracted driving has also been a focus of ours. The use of cellphones or other distractive electronic devices while driving is not permitted in company vehicles.

A gap exists in the licensing of class 1 professional drivers. Our experience with new hires of class 1 drivers points to a lack of training and minimal requirements in obtaining a class 1 operator's license. Industry training would be greatly enhanced with the addition of a government approved apprenticeship program similar to that used for Red Seal trades across Canada.

Due to the complex nature of safe road operation for large truck and tractor transports, several levels of training are necessary, as described earlier, to ensure operators receive the proper education. There is definitely room for improvement in this area.

Just as those enrolled in regular trades must achieve a certain level of an established standard before proceeding, the transport industry could benefit with a more rigorous program with defined levels of expertise. I recognize the apprenticeship program for professional drivers could help attract domestic workers and reduce the need for foreign workers. The scope of duties and qualifications for professional drivers warrants a closer study.

Safe driving in all types of conditions is a major part of it, but there is also the load and unload process and recurrent training to consider as well. Quite often drivers are required to perform these tasks at unmanned sites in remote areas. The task of transferring dangerous goods products is much more complicated when dealing with these volatile goods. Drivers are required to understand the operation of a complex piece of equipment plus the safe transfer of petroleum products. This is similar to other journey person trades that require a professional designation.

Realizing that proper rest is a vital component to safe operation of motor vehicles, RTL-Westcan implemented a fatigue management program in 2009. Emphasis was placed on sleep disorders, screening, and treatment. All professional drivers and other safety-sensitive positions are required to participate in this program. We have seen many benefits of the FMP within our company. We believe all railroad, marine, and road carriers could also see a positive impact to their operations.

Journey management techniques are also emphasized to ensure proper routes are used when transporting dangerous goods. Weather patterns are monitored to provide information on poor driving conditions, road closures, and extreme weather. We do not hesitate to shut down operations if driving conditions warrant it.

Our dispatch centres employ state-of-the-art technology to coordinate delivery of products to our customers. All tractors are equipped with electronic on-board recording devices that track location and monitor en route progress. This technology employs the use of satellite, cellular, or Wi-Fi. The dispatch system has two-way communications with vehicles during trips. Drivers can message back with updates or relay other operational information. This feature is disabled while the vehicle is in motion. Dispatchers are able to match equipment to specific products to ensure dangerous goods products are transported in the appropriate type of tanker trailer.

An electronic maintenance tracking system operates in conjunction with the dispatch system to track required preventative maintenance and provides automatic alerts when equipment requires any type of maintenance including the CSA B620 tank inspections. The on-board tracking system also provides critical event reporting, including speed, roll stability, and hard braking. Various threshold levels are utilized to monitor the severity of the incidents. Real-time information is sent back to our control centre to review the data and react accordingly.

The company highway speed limit is controlled to 100 kilometres per hour. The vehicle speed is monitored not only for highway speeds but also for areas where reduced speeds are required such as urban areas. Higher speeds dramatically reduce braking distances and waste fuel. We firmly believe speeds in excess of 100 kilometres per hour are not worth the additional risk.

Hours of service are tracked electronically to provide dispatch with current available hours for operators and when their next rest period is due. Specific training that reoccurs is also tracked to ensure operators have up-to-date training and qualifications to perform their duties.

Manufacturers chosen to supply our equipment are based on availability of industry-leading technology. Overall vehicle operation is electronically monitored to ensure optimum fuel efficiency and reduced idle times, thereby reducing our impact on the environment.

This information is communicated from the truck via the engine management system to the on-board communication device. Reports can then be sent to dispatch and operation centres. This information is used to track driver performance and is used to help improve their driving skills. Half of our tractor fleet meets reduced emission standards for U.S. EPA 2010 and are card certified clean idle.

Tankers transporting dangerous goods meet or exceed CSA B620 standards for TC 406, TC 407, TC 412, and TC 331 type tankers. We have added additional safety features such as roll stability, traction control, additional lighting along the sides and rear of the vehicle, and side under-run protection. Dangerous goods units are also equipped with a break interlock feature that prevents the vehicle from moving while product is being loaded or unloaded.

A rigorous preventative maintenance programs ensures that all equipment is kept current with respect to regular inspections. This would include yearly commercial vehicle inspections, visual, leak tests, along with the five-year pressure, internal, visual, and leak tests. These inspections are set up in our systems so that equipment cannot be dispatched if these expiry dates have been reached.

In summary, we are proud members of the road transport industry in Canada. Being a national sponsor of MADD Canada, safe driving is at the forefront of our business. With the programs mentioned earlier, such as fatigue management, SMS, use of simulators, extensive training for drivers, use of key performance indicators and the ability to measure them, the industry can reduce overall accidents and continue to provide safe transportation of dangerous goods.

Thank you for your time and the opportunity to present to the committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Thank you very much.

We'll now move to Mr. Warnock for 10 minutes, please.

[Richard Warnock, President and Chief Executive Officer, Head Office, Alberta Motor Transport Association]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you for allowing the Alberta Motor Transport Association to participate in the review of the Canadian transportation regime regarding safe transportation of dangerous goods and the safety management systems.

I understand that this committee has heard from the Canadian Trucking Alliance and other provincial associations in the past week, and as AMTA is a member of CTA we are continuing to support the use of electronic logging devices, roll stability for newly manufactured trucks, speed limiters, and mandatory entry-level training for truck drivers.

In the oil patch of Alberta, there are two major means of transporting oil and gas products, namely by gathering lines or pipelines and by truck from battery to either a distribution point such as a pipeline terminal or a cleaning plant. Only 10% of the produced petroleum crude is transported by truck on our roads and all moves are within a stringent Department of Transport-regulated environment.

I believe that road transportation of bulk class-3 dangerous goods will never be an option for the oil and gas industry for a long haul, because on a user-pay program we would not be a viable option for any of these long-haul movements. Just the number of trucks to haul the volumes that move on 100-car trains would be a burden and, I believe, with the upcoming driver shortages, not even possible.

In addition to the oil-related products, there are many types and quantities of dangerous goods that move in the less-than-truckload and full-truckload market to many sectors, including household goods. These are also transported by road within the same Department of Transport regulations.

The carriers that move dangerous goods are all subject to facility audits by the provincial governing bodies to ensure that their safety management systems are order, internally audited, and followed. Also, the truck drivers on our highways are subject to daily roadside inspections to ensure that their training is current and paperwork is in order and in compliance with all Department of Transport and/or transportation of dangerous goods requirements.

The driver’s training in the dangerous goods is part of a total package that all carriers must do to ensure shared safety on our highways. Drivers are trained to understand the paperwork presented for the transportation of dangerous goods, but the shipper must also be held accountable for training their employees in this classification, and for the accuracy of paperwork, and all safety marks required for their products, including placards presented to the driver with every shipment.

Our industry works together every day to improve highway safety to reduce accidents, and a high standard is there for incident reduction at all loading and unloading facilities. The AMTA sponsors our members and works with them daily to ensure safety on the highways.

Thank you for your time, and I'm open to any questions, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Thank you very much.

I'll now move to Mr. Picard from the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association. Ten minutes, please.

[Jean-Marc Picard, Executive Director, Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good morning, everybody, and thank you for the opportunity to present to the committee as well.

Essentially I'll echo Richard's comments.

The APTA is obviously the body that represents the Atlantic provinces. With more than 300 members, most of them hauling dangerous goods, this is an important topic for us and something that we're following very closely.

We are part of the CTA federation as well, so we are supporting the document that was presented to the committee earlier this year. The industry is well aware that transportation of dangerous goods is in the forefront these days. We feel that our industry is in good shape. It's very safe today, incidents are minimal, and most do not necessarily involve transportation of dangerous goods.

It seems that what is in place today is working well, although having said that, let me add that we share the road with the general public and so have a responsibility to continue to operate safely and to have vehicles that operate safely. As Richard mentioned, in order for us to keep doing that, we feel that some things should be in place, such as electronic on-board recorders, roll stability manufacturing standards, and speed limiters. Whether we're transporting dangerous goods or just a normal load, these three items would bring much value to the industry and would help us continue to operate safely.

If there are some areas for improvement in this review, here are a couple of things I'd like to mention, which Richard echoed as well. There should be a little more shipper responsibility for documentation, but as well there should be a little more focus on driver training and on the trainers who train those drivers.

As I mentioned, there are very few incidents today, so the system seems to be working quite well. But we're open to discussing our recommendations and any questions today.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Thanks. Everyone was very brief.

We'll move into questioning

Mr. Mai, you have seven minutes.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to all the witnesses for your testimony today.

I will start with the RTL-Westcan Group of Companies. My question is to understand concretely how things happen. For instance, if there's an accident, what are the steps? If one of the trucks is carrying dangerous goods, what are the exact steps in letting the first responder know what type of goods they are transporting? How does that work concretely, in practice?

[Michael Royer]

Thank you for the question.

All of our trucks have what Mr. Royer alluded to earlier, satellite tracking and communication, and through our operations dispatch centres there is 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service; that's 365 days a year.

We are live in supporting our vehicles and our employees 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When an incident occurs, there is automatic notification that goes to the applicable operations centre, which immediately contacts one of our safety professionals, who also are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That safety professional immediately gets into contact with first responders and, depending what the incident may be, dispatches our own team as well.

Through our technology, everybody involved can see exactly what the vehicle concerned is carrying and the properties that go along with it. They quickly communicate that to first responders as well as offer any phone support required while our team is en route. From there on, there is a complete tracking procedure both on paper and electronically; there are time stamps and there is communication that goes throughout our organization until we're satisfied that everything is rectified and everything is back to normal. That obviously is part of our investigation.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Will anyone be contacting CANUTEC, for instance?

[Michael Royer]

Yes, based on all the guidelines set forth, absolutely that is part of the protocol. There is a checklist that all of our responders follow, which again is electronically in a process book as well. They follow through that checklist to make sure that nothing is missed.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Okay.

[Michael Royer]

So it is everything.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

That's good to know.

One of the questions we had was with respect to first responders: are municipalities able to intervene with the type of dangerous goods that you have? What was raised was maybe—or maybe not, depending on who was talking—whether or not the municipalities have to know what's in the trucks before they're being hauled.

What's your view on that? In terms of collaboration with the municipalities, making sure that they have the resources or the training to intervene, do you feel comfortable that there's enough dialogue and that everyone's ready for incidents like that?

[Michael Royer]

As a carrier, and from a responsibility perspective, we're equipped not only internally but also with contractors across the areas where we operate to make sure there's adequate coverage. Speed, obviously, in all cases is extremely important.

We always make sure that anywhere we're travelling, we've got resources—again, whether they're internal or through an external contractor—to respond to anything. We work closely with many fire departments in terms of first response, in terms of commodity properties, and what would be entailed if a cleanup were required. We're very active in that across all the communities, cities, and towns in which we operate.

We can constantly improve that communication and dialogue with municipalities and first responders to ensure that we all get better. For the most part, I do think it's adequate today. We've not had an incident where we have not received very, very good support from a municipal-type environment.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

To the trucking association, we had CTA come here. Both of you mentioned the fact that there are some issues with shippers. When we talk about enforcement, we understand that there are provincial regulations or provincial authorities going to enforce the trucking industry. When we talk about shippers of dangerous goods, then the federal government steps in. What we heard from the CTA was that there were some issues with respect to capability or capacity in order to make sure that the rules are enforced.

What's your view on that, in terms of shippers?

[Jean-Marc Picard]

You can start, Richard.

[Richard Warnock]

We have regulated training for our drivers to transport dangerous goods. There should be regulated training for the shippers driving these goods because some of them are lacking in their knowledge. It would be important if companies established a training program that recognized that the driver training-type is also with the shipper, so that he understands what the driver requires, and understands the goods that he's presenting for transport, and that the paperwork and the safety markings are adequate.

[Jean-Marc Picard]

Mr. Chairman, simply, every time we have a new driver, they have to go through certain training, whether it's for dangerous goods or not. Shippers should have the same accountability. If there's a new employee, they should get proper training for dangerous goods: loading the truck, unloading the truck, and issuing the proper paperwork assigned to that type of product.

It would only streamline the deficiencies, in terms of training for our industry.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

You mentioned that training was regulated. I assume that's being regulated at the provincial level.

Will it differ from one province to another, in terms of what the requirements are for training or for enforcement, when we talk about provincial authorities?

[Jean-Marc Picard]

For the driver or—

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

For the truckers, yes.

[Jean-Marc Picard]

It is regulated provincially, although we seem to follow all the same standards. We're always working toward harmonization for training in our industry. More than ever, we've been working together on training. For example, regarding long combination vehicles, we are all following the same training. The same would go for dangerous goods because they all cross the same provinces.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Mr. McGuinty, for seven minutes.