The Canada North Resources Expo is preparing for its big return to the CN Centre in Prince George, B.C. on May 24 and 25. The biennial trade event focuses on major resource sectors vital to Northern Canada’s economy, including forestry and heavy construction. Visitor registration is now open for this key trade event.

“With limited space remaining for exhibitors, we are excited to open up visitor registration for 2019,” said Mark Cusack, national show manager. “We’re looking forward to a year of growth at the show, with a number of new industry players signed on for the event and a great list of attractions being planned.”

Filling an expansive four acres of exhibit space, Canada North Resources Expo features all the equipment needed to get big jobs done. Hundreds of industry leaders from the following sectors will be in attendance: forestry, mining, screening/crushing/recycling, trucking and transportation, contractor/construction, and many others. In addition, the Interior Safety Conference will be returning as a popular feature for industry members on site.

Pre-registration allows attendees to plan their visit in advance and receive a show badge and other exclusive communication in the months leading up to Canada North Resources Expo 2019. Registration is newly open online here.

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Nearly 15,000 trucks are being recalled by their manufacturers for various defects, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Daimler is recalling some 6,795 Freightliner and Western Star tractors and chassis equipped with certain Eaton Electronic Clutch Actuation heavy-duty truck clutches. The company says an internal component in the clutch assemblies could fail, possibly resulting in unintended vehicle movement. Affected models include:

• 2018-2019 Freightliner 108SD
• 2018-2019 Freightliner 114SD
• 2018-2019 Freightliner 122SD
• 2018-2019 Freightliner Business Class M2
• 2018-2019 Freightliner Cascadia
• 2018-2019 Western Star 4700
• 2018-2019 Western Star 4900
• 2018-2019 Western Star 5700

Daimler will notify affected truck owners, and dealers will update the software and repair any physical components for free. Owners can contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712 with recall number FL-803. NHTSA’s recall number is 18V-903.

Paccar is recalling approximately 6,857 Kenworth and Peterbilt tractors for an issue with the seat belt assemblies. The company says seat belt buckle assemblies in the affected trucks may have been glued and not sewn during manufacturing, possibly causing the assembly to come apart in the event of a crash.

Affected trucks include model year 2018 Kenworth T680 and T880, and model year 2018 Peterbilt 567 and 579.

Paccar is notifying affected truck owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt buckle assemblies that weren’t sewn for free. Owners can contact Paccar customer service at 1-918-259-3258 with recall numbers 18KWG and 18PBD. NHTSA’s recall number is 18V-870.

Autocar announced it is recalling about 1,003 2019 model year Xpeditor trucks due to an issue where the universal joint strap bolts at the transmission output yoke may not be properly tightened. If these bolts are loose, the strap may disconnect from the truck, and the drive shaft could detach.

Autocar has notified owners, and dealers will properly tighten the bolts for free. Owners can contact Autocar customer service at 1-888-218-3611 or 1-877-973-3486 with recall number ACX-1901. NHTSA’s recall number is 18V-889.

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A 36-year-old man is dead after a crash on I-69 in Genesee County.

Flint Township Police say the man was driving a semi truck westbound toward Miller Road when he hit a car in the roadway.

The semi truck left the road and overturned as it traveled down a steep embankment.

The crash happened around 9:00 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10.

The car had become disabled after its driver lost control. It's not clear how long the car was in the roadway before it was hit.

The driver of the semi truck has not been identified, but police say he was from Ontario, Canada.

Six other vehicles crashed while trying to avoid the same disabled car.

Two people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Police believe slippery road conditions and speed contributed to the crashes.

Westbound I-69 was closed for several hours as crews removed vehicles and debris from the scene.

The crash remains under investigation.

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Envoy Energy Fuels Inc. and Truk-King Logistics Inc. have started construction on a public-access compressed natural gas (CNG) station in Fort Erie, Ontario.

The CNG cardlock station, located at 1521 Bowen Rd., will include four fast-fill lanes for heavy-duty vehicles and two dedicated lanes for filling large-capacity tube trailers for Envoy Energy’s mobile CNG refueling operations.

The facility, located along Ontario’s QEW highway and just minutes from the U.S.-Canada Peace Bridge, has the capacity to fuel Class 8 trucks in approximately five minutes and over 200 trucks each day. The opening of the station is planned for April.

Based in Fort Erie, Truk-King is a privately owned and operated dry-freight trucking company, providing cross-border transportation services to North American customers. In early 2018, Truk-King became the first third-party carrier in Ontario to adopt CNG Class 8 trucks. Truk-King plans to have its entire fleet of Class 8 trucks running on natural gas by the end of 2019, and the new station will provide the company access to another source of CNG fuel.

“I am thrilled that we are able to help Truk-King solve their problems with fuel costs and diesel emissions,” notes James Ro, president of Envoy Energy.

The station’s partners also include ComTech Energy, Enbridge Gas Inc. and Natural Resources Canada.

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PRESCOTT, Ont. – Kriska Transportation Group has announced its acquisition of Icon Transportation Logistics (ITL) out of Puslinch, Ont.

The company will continue to be led by general manager Alen Delija and its current management team.

“ITL is a great fit with the Kriska Transportation Group,” said Kriska CEO, Mark Seymour. “We’re happy to bring their team of drivers and staff into the KTG family. ITL’s expedited team service is an exciting new addition to our transportation menu.  We know that they have been growing in this space and we hope to help them achieve that.”

“Becoming part of KTG offers ITL the opportunity to access a network of transportation companies that will help us better serve our existing customers,” added Delija. “We’re excited to be part of a group that will help to grow our reach and share our strengths.”

Icon Transportation Logistics offers domestic and cross-border truckload and expedited services. It operates 46 trucks, including 12 teams, and 78 dry van trailers.

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TONAWANDA, NY (WIVB) - A truck from Alberta, Canada struck the Young Street Bridge in the City of Tonawanda on Monday afternoon, according to a news release. 

All bridges, by law, are supposed to be clearly marked on what their heights are in order to avoid accidents like these from ever happening.

Adam Hamdan, 42, told officers he "was lost" and failed to see the height limit signs for the bridge.

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Brace yourself, dear consumer. Starting in 2020, and perhaps even this year, the cost of virtually everything could go up.

And no, it’s not because of taxes.

In less than a year from now, an obscure new international regulation that most people have probably never heard of goes into effect that could have a wide-ranging impact on oil and gas prices, transportation costs and, ultimately, the cost of importing and exporting.

While all developed countries will feel the impact, Canada could be hit particularly hard because it is both an oil-producing nation and a major exporter of bulk commodities.

Sectors from grain farmers on the Prairies to lumber producers and miners may be affected by higher diesel and transportation costs.

In January 2020, the Inter-
-national Maritime Organization (IMO) will implement new controls on pollution from ships plying international waters.

It will require international vessels – from container ships to cruise ships and bulk carriers – to lower the sulphur content in their emissions to 0.5% from 3.5%.

The changes will affect as many as 80,000 ships. Shipping companies generally have three options to comply, all of them expensive.

They can install scrubbers (at a cost of $2 million to $6 million) and continue burning cheap, high-sulphur bunker fuel. Some will opt to build new vessels that run on clean methanol or liquefied natural gas.

Most – at least 60%, according to one estimate – are expected to switch from bunker fuel to lower-sulphur diesel, because it doesn’t require any engine retrofits.

“Most ship owners are probably going to choose the compliant fuel,” said Robert Lewis-Manning, president of the Chamber of Shipping of BC. “We can see the number fitting scrubbers is actually relatively low.”

But diesel is already twice the price of bunker fuel, and fuel accounts for about 30% of the cost to shippers. And according to the International Energy Agency, diesel prices will go up with the increased demand – up to 30%.

Given that 90% of the goods people consume move by ship, it’s likely the higher transportation costs will get passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. Consumers may feel the increase, even if they don’t see it.

The switch will also have a ripple effect on refining. Diesel prices will almost certainly increase (in fact, they already have), and so might the price of gasoline.

The new IMO regulations will cost the shipping industry an estimated $60 billion a year, according to Wood Mackenzie. The total economic cost of the new regulations may reach $1 trillion over five years, according to S&P Global Platts.

“The transportation cost is going to go up,” Lewis-Manning said. “So anything that has to be moved by vessel, the cost will have to be passed down somewhere in that chain. We’re all going to feel it.”

He added that those transportation costs will likely start making their way down the chain this year, because some shippers have already begun to make the switch from bunker fuel to diesel.

“If you make an assumption that you’re going to use compliant fuel, you’re already starting to prepare for that with some additional freight charge in 2019, because the costs you will start to absorb will happen this year,” Lewis-Manning said.

“You have to have your tanks cleaned, and these are expensive evolutions. Some of that cost is already starting to be passed on through the supply chain. It’s difficult to say what it means to the cost of your iPhone that you’re importing from China. But I think it will be material.”

While there have been plenty of analyses of the new IMO regulations’ impact on the shipping and oil and gas industries, there’s been a surprising lack of analysis of the wider economic impacts.

“I think it is a bit of a sleeper issue,” said David Gillen, director of the Centre for Transportation Studies at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business.

“My sense is we’re not going to see substantive increases in consumer prices as a consequence of the fuel cost increase, say, on container ships. But where you are going to see it is in the movement of commodities.

“And so those input prices are going to go up, and they are going to have a trickle-down effect to consumer goods.”

Gillen said that Maersk has estimated the new regulations will cost $100 to $175 per twenty-foot-equivalent unit (TEU).

“When you look at what’s in a TEU, the impact on downstream consumer prices would not appear to be all that high,” Gillen said.

The greater impact would be on bulk commodity exporters, and Canada is a bulk commodity-exporting nation. Exporters of major Canadian commodities like grain, lumber, metallurgical coal, iron ore, aluminum, copper and potash can expect to pay higher transportation costs, Gillen said.

Canadians might therefore pay higher prices for finished goods, such as furniture, cars and fertilizers.

“All of these [bulk shippers] are operating in world markets,” Gillen said. “Margins are very thin. Any increase in transportation costs is going to be paid for by producers because they can’t raise their prices.

“So that’s going to end up being – in a sense – a tax on the producers of those commodities, which, in the case of Canadians, we’re going to get lower returns in the coal and potash, sulphur, grain and lumber.”

The biggest impact on consumers could be in the price of gasoline and diesel.

The demand for diesel is expected to soar, which is good for refiners but not so good for farmers, the trucking industry, railways and other diesel users.

Dan McTeague, an oil and gas analyst for GasBuddy, points out that diesel prices already started creeping up in 2017 and have outstripped gasoline prices. He thinks it’s largely due to the fact that shipping companies have already begun making the switch, which is driving up the demand for diesel.

“Diesel prices have already gone up,” McTeague said. “A good number of companies out there have already gone through the process of making the conversion. So we’ve seen diesel prices eclipse gasoline.”

Allan Fogwill, CEO of the Canadian Energy Research Institute, said increased demand for diesel could have an impact on gasoline prices as well, since refineries will be inclined to produce more diesel and less gasoline.

If you pick up and/or deliver to or near most major U.S. cities, you don’t need a study to tell you how bad traffic congestion is; you’re mired in it on a regular basis. But, the latest data pinpoint the 100 most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America, and illustrate its cost.

The American Transportation Research Institute today released its annual list of trucking bottlenecks, which is based on GPS information from 1 million trucks. In general, this year’s report shows congestion is getting worse, the speed of travel through these locations is slowing, and the cost to the industry is increasing.

The top 10 locations for the worst congestion for truckers includes:

1. Fort Lee, New Jersey: I-95 at SR 4
2. Atlanta: I-285 at I-85 (North)
3. Atlanta: I-75 at I-285 (North)
4. Los Angeles: SR 60 at SR 57
5. Houston: I-45 at I-69/US 59
6. Cincinnati: I-71 at I-75
7. Chicago: I-290 at I-90/I-94
8. Nashville: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East)
9. Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (West)
10. Los Angeles: I-710 at I-105

ATRI’s analysis also found that year-over-year truck speeds across the top 10 locations dropped by an average of nearly 9 percent as congestion worsened.

Trucks that aren’t moving, or are moving slowly, are expensive. It’s estimated congestion costs the industry some $74.5 billion a year, and 1.2 billion in lost hours of productivity. ATRI said congestion caused by these bottlenecks equates to 425,533 truckers sitting idle.

“Congestion is a persistent issue for our industry and our company specifically,” said Rich McArdle, president of UPS Freight. “For UPS, if all of our vehicles are delayed just five minutes a day, every day, it costs our company $114 million a year.”

While Fort Lee, New Jersey (the George Washington Bridge crossing into New York City) is the worst bottleneck, Atlanta has the dubious distinction of being the U.S. city with the most trucking bottlenecks in the top 10 with three. Fully 70 percent of the locations on the top 100 list are located in just 12 states. That list includes:

• Texas, 13
• California, 7
• Connecticut, 6
• Georgia, 6
• Washington, 6
• Maryland/Washington, D.C., 5
• Minnesota, 5
• New York, 5
• Pennsylvania, 5
• Illinois, 4
• Indiana, 4
• Tennessee, 4

The nation’s largest trucking advocacy group wants elected officials to do something about these bottlenecks.

“ATRI’s research shows us where the worst pain points are – but they are far from the only ones,” said Chris Spear, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations. “This report should be a wakeup call for elected leaders at all levels of government that we must act quickly to address our increasingly congested highway system. Without meaningful investment in our nation’s infrastructure, carriers will continue to endure billions of dollars in congestion-related costs – which results in a self-inflicted drag on our economy.”

You can see a detailed list of the top 100 most congested bottlenecks online.

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VIDEO

KIRKWOOD, N.Y. -- A ban on commercial vehicles on interstates was enforced throughout the day Tuesday.

State troopers pulled over truck drivers violating the ban. For those following it, there was nothing to do but wait.

Love's Travel Stop near Binghamton is the last stop for truckers before entering Pennsylvania from New York, so a travel ban on all commercial vehicles on Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania means a crowded parking lot full of tractor-trailers in New York.

"Nowhere near as much as we do when we're hauling. It's half pay. It's better than nothing. I'd rather that than being out there risking my life or someone else's," said driver Andy Blythe from Ontario.

Truck drivers explain to Newswatch 16 that it varies from company to company as to whether drivers get paid during a travel ban. Some drivers will get paid half.

"So, it's something. It pays for a motel if you're going to get it, or food or whatever. Other companies don't. Drivers are only paid when the wheels are turning," said driver Stephen Smith from Ontario.

Drivers tell Newswatch 16 if they have perishable items in their trucks, a travel ban can be a little more stressful.

"They're only going to be good for a couple days, so if we do get stuck in a situation like this, we hope it's something quick where they can get the highways done so we can make this delivery. After a couple days, people more than likely won't receive it," said Virginia driver Finny Cureton.

We found several refrigerated trailers at the rest stop near Binghamton. Drivers say their loads should stay fresh despite the one-day delay.

"It can be anywhere from 10 degrees to 70 degrees depends on what the product is that's in there."

RVs were also included in the travel ban, so a cross-country road trip for one family will take a bit longer than expected.

"Probably do it in seven days, but 10 to 12 is probably reasonable."

Traveling from Canada to Seattle, Washington to visit their daughter, the Laforest family made the best of making the time pass.

"Internet is a wonderful thing. We have this huge Wi-Fi thing so we can get internet anywhere. We can do the Netflix and catch up on whatever we want to. We said what would we do without it? We'd have to read a book, which is actually kind of nice. I brought one, so I'll probably do a little of that, too," said Stephen Laforest.

The commercial vehicle travel ban in parts of Pennsylvania went into effect at 6 a.m. Tuesday, and despite the frustration,  drivers say they understand.

"The state's doing the right thing. Keep everyone safe then clean the roads."

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A fleet of frustrated Westerners will roll through Sudbury this weekend en route to the nation’s capital.

The United We Roll convoy, featuring about 300 trucks, is departing Red Deer, Alta., on Valentine’s Day, and should reach Sudbury by Sunday.

“It’s tough for us to stop in any given city, because we have 4,000 kilometres to travel and four days to do it,” said organizer Glen Carritt, a municipal councillor in Innisfail, Alta. and owner of a company that provides fire services to oil and gas operations.

“But what we’re doing is encouraging people to come out and support us, whether it’s on the highway to watch us go by, or for trucks to join in from city to city or border to border.”

The goal is to reach Ottawa by Feb. 19, where speeches and a rally are planned for Parliament Hill.

Carritt said convoy participants are fed up with the slow pace of pipeline development and feel the federally imposed carbon tax will only cause more economic pain for an already struggling region.

“We need pipelines to get our product to tidewater, and also to the rest of the country, so that we can stop spending $50 million a day on foreign oil from countries like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela,” he said.

He said Canada counts the third largest reserves of oil in the world — nearly all of it in Alberta — “but we don’t use our oil to the best of its capacity.”

Apart from importing foreign oil, “we also sell it to the States cheap and buy it back at a higher rate,” he said. “The reason for that is the U.S. has no interest in Canada getting our pipelines to tidewater, because then that changes the world market for them.”

Convoy members oppose Bill C48, which prohibits oil tankers from stopping at West Coast ports, and Bill C69, a revamp of environmental assessment rules that will inhibit energy projects through “over-regulation,” according to Carritt. “We’re already losing businesses right, left and centre in Alberta and Saskatchewan and B.C., because they can’t keep up with the regulations.”

His group also feels the price on carbon “needs to be revisited or abolished,” as it taxes Canadian families while “doing nothing to reduce emissions.”

Carritt said Jason Kenney, leader of the United Conservative Party in Alberta, is on board with Ontario’s Doug Ford and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe in challenging the federal carbon plan.

Even in B.C., there are many people — including Indigenous people who welcome the work that would come from pipeline construction — who see the price on pollution as an impediment, he said.

Just before Christmas, the Trudeau government announced $1.6 billion for Alberta’s ailing energy sector, but Carritt said that is not the answer.

“We don’t want handouts in Alberta,” he said. “We don’t want to become dependent on any government. We just want to get back to work and get our product out there. The $1.6 billion is almost a slap in the face.”

There has been some confusion and controversy in getting the rolling protest out of the garage, largely because the yellow vest movement, which counts some extreme elements, was initially involved.

“I stand behind what the yellow vests believe in, but I don’t stand behind the radicals and discrimination that come from certain Facebook pages,” said Carritt.

People identifying with the movement can still be part of the United We Roll convoy, he said, as long as they aren’t spreading an intolerant or hateful message.

“We only accept respectful, peaceful, hard-working Canadians that want to have their voice heard in Ottawa,” he said.

These include members of the oil and gas industry, but also farmers, military veterans and members of the Metis community, he said. And he hopes other allies will be found along the way, including, perhaps, some auto workers in Ontario.

“This is a united coalition,” said Carritt, who will be driving a red fire truck from his OP Fire & Safety business in the convoy. “This is a movement that says ‘we’re fed up’ and anybody is welcome — yellow vest, pink hat, blue carnation, I don’t care — as long as you are respectful.”

The organizer said about 200 trucks are committed to driving the full distance to Ottawa, but others will join for shorter stretches along the way, swelling the fleet size to as many as 400 vehicles at times.

They won’t be driving bumper to bumper, however, and shouldn’t impede other traffic too much.

“We’ll have space between so people can pass,” Carritt said, adding he’s consulted with OPP, RCMP and Ottawa Police to make sure they are aware of the plan and all requirements are met.

“This is a peaceful, respectful protest, where we’re following all the laws,” he said. “We’re not just jumping in trucks and driving across the country. This has been a huge logistical undertaking and we’re trying to make sure we have all the bases covered.”

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OTTAWA, Ont. – Changes to the Heavy Truck Weight and Dimension Limits for Interprovincial Operations in Canada pave the way for truckers to use wide-base single tires at the same weight limits as duals right across Canada.

The decision was made during the meeting of the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety in late January.

“We are grateful for the leadership shown by the First Ministers, Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety and the provincial and territorial government representatives of the Task Force on Vehicle Weights and Dimensions Policy for moving forward on this issue so that the trucking industry can take advantage of this progressive equipment technology under the MOU umbrella,” said Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) senior vice-president of policy, Geoff Wood.

The CTA says the next step is for the provinces and territories to amend their regulations to reflect the recent changes, and in the interim, to offer permits to facilitate the movement of single tire-equipped vehicles.

“The outcome of this policy decision which also saw an all-hands-on-deck effort from the provincial trucking associations in the Alliance strikes a good balance between road infrastructure preservation and productivity, safety and environmental considerations. It also levels the playing field with respect to Canadian and U.S. fleets in their tire spec’ing options. The ultimate goal of this effort now and all MoU updates is to have all jurisdictions adopt the MOU changes in their regulations as quickly as individual regulatory/legislative timetables permit,” added Wood.

The MOU can be read here.

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