Toronto, Ontario
February 18, 2014
Check Against Delivery
Thank you for inviting me to join you today.
It’s truly encouraging to see meetings like this, where those of you in the trucking industry step back to look at where trucking fits into the larger picture of transportation in Canada, in North America and around the globe.
Canada’s transportation system is integral to this country’s economy and has always been essential to our success in global commerce and trade.
And as Minister of Transport, I understand the important role that trucking plays in that transportation system.
The trucking industry moves some 90 per cent of consumer products in Canada, generates more than 65 billion dollars a year in revenue and employs some 400,000 Canadians.
Trucks deliver the food we get at the grocery store and most everything else we buy. Trucks are integral to how transportation fuels our economy.
Just like other modes of transport, trucking faces many challenges. Some are considerable, such as the increasing cost of vehicles and equipment, low profit margins and a growing shortage of drivers.
As Minister of Transport, I appreciate the efforts you are all making to promote a Canadian trucking industry that is safe, efficient and environmentally responsible.
These three factors are crucial to the future success of the trucking sector.
But to achieve them may require some new ways of thinking.
I’m sure many of you feel that long gone are the days of trucking being just about the long haul.
And you know that to succeed today, the industry needs to take a hard look at the changes taking place in networks and markets, both in Canada and beyond our borders.
That is just what you are doing today by making innovation a central theme.
Just looking over your program, I know you will look at topics such as vehicle aerodynamics, communications, driver safety, fleet efficiency and ways to minimize the impact of trucking on the environment.
These issues demonstrate the importance of innovation in the trucking industry.
And that’s why, by working with numerous partners in all modes of transportation, the federal government is working to support innovation in your industry.
I’m well aware that the private sector will provide the torque to move the trucking industry ahead into this new era.
But there are actions that the federal government is taking to maintain safe trucking and to improve environmental performance and efficiency.
So I’d like to take a few minutes to talk about some of them and how they promote the three factors I mentioned – safety, efficiency and environmental responsibility.
First, there is Transport Canada’s ecoTECHNOLOGY or ETV program, which tests and evaluates the environmental and safety performance of new technologies for cars and trucks.
And it’s worth noting that we are working in collaboration with industry, for example, by participating in Performance Innovation Technology’s Energo-Tests.
The ETV evaluations provide expert technical information for regulators, in order to help develop vehicle regulations and standards.
Test results also help the people who develop technology standards to consider unique Canadian conditions, so they can determine if a vehicle technology that works fine in one region of the continent will hold up others.
And given the weather this past winter, you can see how a technical feature that tests well in say, Los Angeles, might not work the same in Winnipeg.
In this way, ETV helps ensure that vehicle innovations can be introduced in Canada and North America, in a safe and timely manner.
Another example I should mention is Transport Canada’s Canadian Vehicle Use Study, whose main goal is to provide information on trends in car and truck use.
In doing so, the study helps us to develop programs and policies that enhance the movement of passengers and goods, improve road safety and lower both fuel consumption and air emissions.
It is the first of its kind in the world to collect information on motor vehicles using an on-board electronic device.
And while eliminating the need for numerous paper forms – and who wouldn’t want that? – it also allows us to collect data more efficiently than ever before.
Next, an example of how Transport Canada is partnering with the private sector is our Truck Reservation Program, which helps to develop new technology to cut down truck congestion in key trade corridors.
The program is helping businesses to develop new tools to manage truck traffic at major ports and synchronize it with the arrival of ships. This could reduce line-ups of idling vehicles waiting to load or unload at these facilities.
As you can see, these efforts – ETV, the Canadian Vehicle Use Study and the Truck Reservation Program, promote safety and efficiency.
And they could help give us cleaner air.
After all, transportation is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.
And heavy-duty vehicles account for approximately a quarter of transportation emissions, or about six percent of Canada’s total GHG emissions.
So these programs support the government’s strategy to reduce air pollutants and to protect both the environment and the health of Canadians.
Another example of the direction we are taking to support the trucking industry is Transport Canada’s recent announcement on truck “boat-tails”
Our industry and provincial government partners believe boat-tails could reduce fuel consumption by improving the aerodynamic performance of long-haul tractor-trailers.
But to address different technical regulations in different provinces, the federal government first had to amend regulations under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, to allow provinces to amend their own regulations.
This allowed the use of longer boat-tails and ensured that they could be integrated into the Canadian transportation system in a safe manner.
A final point I’d like to mention is our work to align some safety related Canadian vehicle regulations with those in the United States.
By doing so, we hope to provide a level playing field for manufacturers on both sides of the Canada-US border.
That way, they can be more competitive as they adopt innovative vehicle technologies. I’m confident that these technologies will help the performance of the trucking industry in both Canada and the US.
These initiatives and others demonstrate how the federal government is playing an important role in supporting innovation in your industry.
As I noted earlier, as markets around the world change, innovation will be vital for our transportation systems to keep pace with these changes.
But this isn’t new.
During the recession, many transportation businesses developed innovative practices and, as a result, became more competitive than ever.
I hope that the lesson we learned was the need to maintain this interest in innovation. I also hope that meetings like this one will support this direction.
The federal government is well aware that, beyond the matters of innovation you are discussing here, there are other issues facing the trucking industry.
For example, there are concerns about the shortage of drivers, especially in Western Canada.
We are going to have to look for effective ways to address this, as it also affects both driver safety and the role that trucking plays in our economy.
As well, the matter of efficient access to the United States at land border crossings remains a concern.
That is why we are improving border infrastructure, technology and security through the Canada – U.S. Beyond the Border Action Plan.
And it is why the federal government is investing some 127 million dollars in four Canadian border crossings to increase their commercial traffic capacity, reduce wait times and strengthen security.
In closing, I want to stress again that I value the important contribution that trucking makes to Canada’s economic growth.
And I also want to stress that, for the industry to continue making this kind of contribution, we all must strive to ensure the most important measure of any transportation industry: that truckers come home safely.
I will continue to work with all of my colleagues in other governments, in businesses and in groups, such as this, to strengthen safety, efficiency and environmental responsibility in trucking.
And I applaud all of the efforts you are taking to find new ways to adapt and ensure that the trucking industry can continue to support the future of Canada.
Thank you for inviting me today.
