Resolution No. 19-01A

WHEREAS, the Trucking Partnership Program is a provincial initiative that under certain conditions enables shippers/carriers to obtain permit privileges to operate vehicles loaded to primary weights on the secondary highway system and municipal roads that have been approved for such use by a RM council; and

WHEREAS, a condition of the program requires a payment to the Transportation Partnership Fund equal to 50% of the truck haul savings and any incremental road costs associated with hauling the additional weight; and

WHEREAS, these charges apply to all loaded vehicle kilometers from the location where the overweight load originated to where the vehicle is unloaded in Saskatchewan or crosses the provincial boundary; and

WHEREAS, the loaded vehicle kilometers includes the distance traveled on the municipal roads and the secondary and primary highways;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we ask the provincial government to adjust the Trucking Partnership Program so that the shippers/carriers would only be charged a permit fee on the municipal and secondary highway portion of the haul route.

Response from Hon. Pat Atkinson:

The permit fee is based upon the increase in productivity. Since the benefits from the increase in productivity are accrued over the entire haul distance, the permit fee applies to the entire haul distance within Saskatchewan. The permit fee is not based upon incremental road costs. Any incremental damage is calculated on the basis of the road type and charged to the company.

Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation will soon undertake a system-wide review of vehicle weight limits that will involve discussions with SARM's Board of Directors. This review has been designated as a priority assignment and will take six months to a year to complete. However, upon completion, the results of the review should provide the information necessary to help in deciding the potential role of rural truck routes.

In October 2000, the department formed a Trucking Advisory Forum, made up of 16 stakeholder groups, to obtain input on provincial trucking issues. The forum addresses issues such as improved safety and outlines the economic benefits of trucking in the province. Participants in the forum include the Saskatchewan Trucking Association, the Canadian Automobile Association, Canadian Industrial Transportation Association Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, SUMA, SARM and Canadians Responsible for Responsible and Safe Highways (CRASH), and various government departments.

The purpose of the Trucking Advisory Forum is to review trucking programs to ensure they are meeting the purposes for which they were created. It is important to determine whether programs and policies are still progressive, and to seek input from the people most directly affected by them.