Port Metro Vancouver announced Feb. 21 that it has come up
with what it calls the Smart Fleet trucking strategy, a three-year plan to
improve the efficiency and reliability of the container truck sector and
reinforce the supply chain.
Container traffic through Canada’s Pacific Gateway is
expected to double over the next 10 to 15 years and nearly triple by 2030. The port
says the projected increase in Canadian international trade was the impetus for
the planning, so as to meet future demand.
“In 2012, container traffic at Port Metro Vancouver reached
a new record of 2.7 million TEUs and that number will continue to grow,” Robin
Silvester, Port Metro Vancouver’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said
in a statement.
“Given that a large proportion of container traffic moves to
and from the terminals by truck, improvements to reliability and efficiency are
vital,” Sylvester said. “Smart Fleet sets out our action plan to ensure we are
maximizing existing capacity and improving operational efficiencies as the
Gateway grows to service our nation’s trade requirements.”
The key initiatives in the plan include expanded use of GPS
communications to track the supply chain; the funding of research to identify
technology-based solutions to improve sustainability; and the introduction of a
Container Vessel On-time Incentive Program to encourage container vessel
operators to arrive on schedule and thereby contribute to overall supply chain
consistency.
The port is also conducting a review of truck licensing
system that it expects will lead to enhanced performance, safety and
environmental standards.
British Columbia Transportation and Infrastructure Minister
Mary Polak said that the provincial government’s investing $300,000 toward
installing 700 GPS units in trucks calling at the port to support the new
‘Smart Fleet’ trucking strategy.
“Data collected from these GPS units will provide valuable
information to improve truck routing and improve terminal operations, helping
our trucking sector improve its competitiveness while also reducing greenhouse
emissions and making the port greener and more efficient,” she said.
