A report of the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development supported three key recommendations of the Canadian Trucking Alliance to smooth the transition to cleaner engines in the trucking sector.
The report, titled Healthy Environment, Healthy Canada, Healthy Economy: Strengthening the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, captures CTA’s first key recommendation related to the negative impact on carriers of poor trucking equipment reliability. CTA urged the government that any mandatory environmental equipment should be tested and proven in Canadian operating conditions.
Specifically, the committee recommended that “Environment and Climate Change Canada work with the Canadian Trucking Alliance to establish testing protocols for greenhouse gas reduction qualifying technology to ensure that such technology and systems are suitable for use in Canada.”
Relatedly, CTA also highlighted the safety and operational issues associated with a truck entering ‘limp’ mode because of an emissions system failure. Because of CTA’s testimony, the Senate report acknowledged how drivers can get stranded with time-sensitive loads, such as perishable food shipments, in various parts of the country. Additionally, the report pointed to CTA’s submission explaining how a minority of operators resort to using so-called defeat devices to circumvent the environmental controls trucks.
As a result, the Committee recommends Environment and Climate Change Canada consult with CTA on the length and distance limp mode should be extended. It also points out legal issues associated with defeat devices and the difficulty detecting their instillation on a vehicle. But it did recommend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act be amended to empower Environment and Climate Change Canada to crack down on the “brazen” manufactures, sellers and installers of equipment that interferes with vehicle emissions controls.
“CTA is thankful to the members of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, for including several of our key recommendations in the final report,” said CTA president Stephen Laskowski. “CTA will continue to work with Environment and Climate Change Canada to turn these recommendations into action.”