Environmental Standards for Port-Bound Container Trucks Reduce Emissions and Improve Public Health

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Aug. 5, 2016) - Environmental requirements that came into effect this week for container trucks serving the Port of Vancouver will have an immediate impact on air quality and public health in the densely populated Lower Mainland.

Effective August 1, all trucks registered in the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority's Truck Licensing System are required to have either a diesel oxidation catalyst or diesel particulate filter installed in order to gain access to port facilities. There are currently approximately 1,750 trucks performing around 30,000 container trips weekly along truck routes in the region and most trucks in the system are already compliant.

To fulfil the longstanding requirements and maintain port access, trucking companies and independent owner-operators must provide verification of their truck engine age or proof that retrofits have been made to older trucks. Since the August 1 deadline, around 100 trucks that were in the Truck Licensing System are no longer permitted to access port facilities as of this week.

"The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has a number of programs to reduce emissions and improve regional air quality," said Peter Xotta, Vice President, Planning and Operations at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. "Modernizing the port's truck fleet is just one way we are contributing to efforts that address climate change and protect the health of local citizens."

The installation of diesel oxidation catalysts on trucks with 2006 model engines or older will reduce emissions of diesel particulate matter, a known human carcinogen as defined by the World Health Organization, by approximately 20 per cent. Truck engines built from 2007 onwards with diesel particulate filters produce 90 per cent less diesel particulate matter than older engines, while trucks built from 2010 onwards are known to produce 20 times less nitrogen oxide, a key component of smog, than older engines.

In 2008, the Port of Vancouver became the first port in Canada to implement comprehensive environmental requirements to reduce air emissions from container trucks. Since then, the port authority has been communicating, and gradually introducing, increasingly stringent environmental requirements for new and existing container trucks serving the port.

Reform to the Truck Licensing System was one of the items in the 14-point Joint Action Plan, which was implemented by the provincial and federal governments in 2014 to create a more stable trucking industry. These environmental standards are part of that reform. The port authority and the port's container terminals are finalizing the development of a common reservation system for container trucks. With that, the port authority will have completed its responsibilities in the plan.

Along with the container truck environmental standards implemented this week, the port authority is also addressing emissions from ocean-going vessels, cargo-handling equipment and other non-road diesel equipment, as well as implementing corporate initiatives to reduce emissions from its own activities.

For more information:

• Notice sent to Truck Licensing System registrants - English (July 8, 2016) [PDF]

• Notice sent to Truck Licensing System registrants - Punjabi (July 8, 2016) [PDF]

• Infographic: Reducing container truck emissions [PDF]

• Related: Implementation of environmental requirements for container trucks delayed to address driver uncertainty (February 16, 2016)

• Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy

About the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is responsible for the stewardship of the federal port lands in and around Vancouver, British Columbia. It is accountable to the federal minister of transport and operates pursuant to the Canada Marine Act. The port authority manages the Port of Vancouver, which is Canada's largest port and the third largest tonnage port in North America, responsible for Canada's trade with more than 170 world economies. Located in a naturally beautiful setting on Canada's west coast, the Port of Vancouver is responsible for the efficient and reliable movement of goods and passengers, and integrates environmental, social and economic sustainability initiatives into all areas of port operations. Enabling the trade of approximately $200 billion in goods in 2015, the port sustains an estimated 100,000 supply-chain jobs, $6.1 billion in wages, and $9.7 billion in GDP across Canada.