Transport Committee on Oct. 16th, 2018

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

I hope, in the very short term, that you are able to find the answer or that we can help you find ways to address the worker shortage.

Now I'm going to switch topics.

With ports growing, the resulting increase in traffic will mean more trucks on the road. Does your industry have an environmental strategy? Quebec's Groupe Robert comes to mind. The company replaced its entire diesel fleet with natural gas-powered vehicles. Is that one of many initiatives, or has your association really committed to greener trucking?

[Jean-Marc Picard]

Groupe Robert set an excellent example by choosing natural gas for 150 of its trucks. The technology, however, isn't quite mature, so the return on investment isn't there yet. A natural gas-powered vehicle costs about $85,000 more. A company has to have substantial savings to make that kind of investment.

For our part, we are at the mercy of manufacturers. All we can do is buy what they want to sell us, and right now, that's diesel engines. However, the industry has made a real effort to reduce diesel use. There are what we call

side skirts on a trailer.

At the back, there are

the auxiliary power units.

There are also wide-tread tires. All of those mechanisms help reduce diesel consumption by up to 10% in some cases.

There are also the long combination vehicles I mentioned earlier. If that last 40-kilometre stretch of the highway were twinned, we would see more long combination vehicles, or double-trailers. Using a long combination vehicle is equivalent to taking one whole truck off the road.

Those are steps we are taking, but they have a price tag. In order for us to make an investment, there has to be a return. That said, if manufacturers start producing something other than diesel engines, there is no doubt someone will test it out and we'll see if it works.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

In that chain—

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

I'm sorry, Mr. Aubin. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Mr. Picard.

We'll move to Mr. Iacono.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here this morning.

Mr. Picard, I have another question for you about the labour shortage. Is it due to the working conditions, especially the hours workers have to put in, or is it a wage issue?

[Jean-Marc Picard]

It's probably a combination of the two.

Right now, a truck driver in Atlantic Canada earns an average of $55,000. That said, I do know some who make up to $80,000 or $90,000. Since drivers are paid by the mile, they have to drive a lot. The working conditions are beginning to change, though. It's the most discussed topic at our national meetings, which are held twice a year. Some carriers say they pay drivers over time, and others report paying them by the hour.

Companies are starting to change their practices, and with drivers looking for the these new benefits, it helps companies keep their existing drivers. Recruiting workers is definitely a challenge, so offering new benefits helps companies keep the drivers they have. They're offering better pension plans, more benefits and considerable bonuses based on how drivers operate their vehicles. Whether they drive aggressively is taken into account, for instance, and if they achieve significant diesel savings, they get a bonus at the end of the month.

The working conditions are changing quite dramatically. Of course, not every carrier is making changes, but they are starting to be felt across the industry.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

How many hours a week do drivers work, on average?

[Jean-Marc Picard]

I would say 60 hours.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Would you consider autonomous vehicles? Might that be a solution in your view?

[Jean-Marc Picard]

It's something we are considering, to be sure. We aren't expecting the vehicles to be completely self-driving. Already, in the industry, a driver can release the wheel for an hour at a time. The vehicle can stop and accelerate without driver intervention, given the number of sensors and cameras all the way around the truck. That really makes the driver's job easier. I play that up as an advantage in my efforts to recruit drivers, especially young people. The amount of technology trucks are equipped with today is incredible. All of those sensors and cameras make the trucks safer, by the way, which is also encouraging.

Advancements are happening quickly right now. Everything is changing, but we see that as very positive for the industry, not just because it improves safety, but also because it helps us recruit people.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

The Atlantic provinces released their transportation strategy, entitled “Charting the Course: Atlantic Canada Transportation Strategy 2008-2018”. It underscores provincial interdependence, especially in the transportation sector.

Mr. Picard, where does that transportation interdependence stand and what progress have you seen?

[Jean-Marc Picard]

Our industry is somewhat unique in that every carrier is federally regulated but enforcement of those regulations falls on the provinces. That makes things tricky to manage. We all adhere to the national safety code and the hours of service rules, but the province is responsible for applying those rules to our fleets.

In that sense, we'd like to see more elements managed by the federal government, rather than the province. It would make for greater consistency. The provinces oversee the weights and dimensions rules, and that varies from one province to another. Just think about what that means when a vehicle crosses five provinces, for instance. Each province's regulations on weights and dimensions have to be taken into account. Making sense of that mix of information can be challenging, so that's why we'd like to see greater consistency at the national level in relation, first, to weights and dimensions and, second, to hours of service.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

You're recommending that the rules be harmonized. Is that correct?

[Jean-Marc Picard]

Yes. We have committees in place and we are working on certain issues, as we speak, but it's a long process and progress is slow. We are, however, making headway from one year to the next.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Currently, what are the priorities in Atlantic Canada's trucking sector?

[Jean-Marc Picard]

I would say the driver shortage is our number one challenge, followed by the expansion of Highway 185 to four lanes. We are competing with western Canada for workers. Of course, we'd like to re-ignite the economy in Atlantic Canada, so this is definitely something our governments could help with.

The carbon tax is another issue we are looking at, but it's a bit of a grey area right now because we don't really know what's happening. There was some progress made last year, but it seems as though it's not even being discussed anymore. We would have liked to see a national approach on that issue as well. That would have meant greater consistency, and the industry would've been better off. As mentioned earlier, a carbon tax must not have a negative impact on revenues and must give us the flexibility to invest in carbon-reducing technologies.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much.

We will move to Mr. Bratina.

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Picard, thank you very much for your ringing endorsement of men over 70. I appreciate that.

[Jean-Marc Picard]

They're our best drivers.

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

By the way, I was well acquainted with the late John Donoval, who was attempting to get a Canadian Football League team in Halifax, the Atlantic Schooners. I don't know if you remember John.

[Jean-Marc Picard]

Yes.

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Is anyone in the trucking business on the coast interested in doing the CFL?

[Jean-Marc Picard]

Not a chance.

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

You could move the footballs around in the trucks.

I'm curious about transportation infrastructure, which is a key issue for us. One of the things that keeps coming up is the way highways are constructed and things like roundabouts. Do you have any input or thoughts on things such as improving movement? Do you think it improves movement when you have a roundabout at an intersection?

[Jean-Marc Picard]

It does keep the traffic flowing. It's a bit trickier for the big commercial vehicles, specifically if you have a car that goes inside a roundabout with a truck. People need to be educated on roundabouts because we're seeing them pop up everywhere. I think they should be included in motor-vehicle training when someone gets their class five driver's licence. They should be aware of how to operate a car whenever there is a commercial vehicle in the roundabout.

The same goes for us. If roundabouts are constructed well and large enough, we don't have a problem. As I said, they keep the traffic flowing, but people need to be educated on these roundabouts.