Port of Vancouver Discussion

[fredinno]

Originally Posted by Sheba

From the article:

Issue is that could describe a couple areas.
The most obvious one would be a 100-Acre lot below No.8 St, right next to the River.

[jollyburger]

From the article:

Currently, there is river sand on the site for preload, in preparation for development, said Matti Polychronis, port authority spokesperson, in an emailed statement to the Richmond News. However, the sand cannot accommodate the heavy mobile equipment used to handle and stack containers, so a layer of gravel will be added.

If you go into Google there's sand on the eastern section of that 100 acre lot. It's all Port of Vancouver land down there.

They're building a new overpass down there in 2023

https://www.portvancouver.com/projects/road-and-rail/portside-blundell-road-improvements-project/

[jollyburger]

Documents:

https://www.portvancouver.com/permitting...lications/richardson-railyard-expansion/

Richardson International is seeking to expand its North Vancouver waterfront grain terminal’s rail yard, adding 15 new tracks at the foot of St. Patricks Avenue.

The Winnipeg-based grain distributor is collecting public feedback on the proposal, which will be vetted by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority before it can be approved.

If approved, it would see the port’s last vacant waterfront property on the North Shore developed.

The company cites growing global demand for Canadian-grown grain and oilseeds as the impetus for the investment.

As it currently operates, CN Rail trains must be separated into two and unloaded in phases while half of the cars are kept waiting in the Lynn Creek area.

“The additional track work will allow for improved efficiencies of delivering and processing railcars at the site,” Richardson’s application to the port states.

The increased efficiency should boost the terminal’s overall capacity by 17 per cent, the company estimates. Once completed, the terminal will be able to process 280 railcars per day, up from the current 240.

Richardson estimates the amount of grain they can process at the site will grow from six megatonnes per year to seven.

Although it will be more efficient in terms of handling grain, it will require more locomotives on the property, closer to existing homes in Moodyville, and longer operating hours for the grain elevator.

A noise study submitted by a third-party consultant estimates the changes will result in a terminal that is no more than one decibel louder than it currently is for residents living in the first three blocks between St. Andrews Avenue and Moody Avenue, maxing out at 72 decibels for those living closest to the terminal’s grain elevator.

The percentage of nearby residents who would be “highly annoyed,” by noise coming from the site would be less than two per cent, the consultant predicted.

The consultant concluded the increase in noise was small enough that the project would not require further noise mitigation.

In the last 10 years, there have been no noise complaints submitted from the community, according to the written application.

The deadline to submit public comment via [email protected] is this Friday (Dec. 17).

The company estimates construction will take about five months.

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/north-...l-plans-to-add-15-new-rail-lines-4860711

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

From the article:



If you go into Google there's sand on the eastern section of that 100 acre lot. It's all Port of Vancouver land down there.

They're building a new overpass down there in 2023

https://www.portvancouver.com/projects/road-and-rail/portside-blundell-road-improvements-project/

yup that is the area the overflow containers are at. I was in the area on the weekend and it was packed with containers.

[Klazu]

Must be really busy at the port these days. There are several container ships docked in English Bay when normally you see maybe only one queued up.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Must be really busy at the port these days. There are several container ships docked in English Bay when normally you see maybe only one queued up.

They may still be clearing the backlog from the highway and rail line closures.

[Jimbo604]

Starting 2022 the port will be only accepting trucks that are max 10 years old based on a rolling age from whatever the current year is, eg 2022 must be 2012 or newer, 2023 must be 2013 or newer, etc. Phase 1 of the program implementation starts in four weeks on February 1st.

Port Truck Licensing System web page link

"Beginning on February 1, 2022, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is launching the Truck Licensing System (TLS) Rolling Truck Age Program. As of the effective date, this program will age out TLS truck models older than 10 years from the port authority’s Truck Licensing System. Developed in consultation with the trucking community and based on current best practice research, the port authority determined that a 10-year maximum truck age model will improve air quality and support cleaner, healthier communities in Metro Vancouver, while also helping to build a more reliable, stable, and socially responsible truck fleet serving the Port of Vancouver."

Implementation is in five phases from February to Jun with Phase 1 in Feb cutting off trucks 2006 or older and leading to Phase 5 in June where trucks 2011 or older are cut off. There is an exemption program an operator can apply to if they can prove their truck has been upgraded to meet the minimum 10 year old requirements (eg 2013 for this year). The older the truck the harder and more expensive it would be to qualify for this exemption though. And then my reading is that the next year they would have to comply with the next year's standards so continuously having to upgrade.

Obviously new trucks = cleaner trucks which is great for the environment and those that live in Vancouver. This change may be an quite an "adjustment issue" this year for many port truck operators though.

Would be interesting if the port provided some year to number of trucks statistics.

[jlousa]

Wonder if the new system will make a measurable difference. All the trucks are already operating on ULSD which has less then 15ppm of Sulphur down from 3000ppm which made a real difference. The emission controls haven't changed too much in the last 10yrs, are the newer trucks being checked to see if the controls are intact and operating? When there is mileage savings to be had by bypassing emissions there is a huge incentive to do so by the operators. Given the cost of these rigs they won't be just retired after only 10yrs, so we will see them move onto secondary markets. If the incentive is high enough we will just see the new trucks do the initial pick up and then swap it over to an older truck at a nearby yard.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Jimbo604

Starting 2022 the port will be only accepting trucks that are max 10 years old based on a rolling age from whatever the current year is, eg 2022 must be 2012 or newer, 2023 must be 2013 or newer, etc. Phase 1 of the program implementation starts in four weeks on February 1st.

This seems a bit bass ackwards to me. If the goal is to reduce emissions then the criteria should be emissions, not age. A decade or so down the line are they going to reject Tesla Semis just because they're 11 years old when a brand new diesel tractor is far less clean?

[madog222]

NOx treatment systems, particulate filters, and overall efficiency (CO2 reduction) will probably be what they are looking at.

The port was wanting mandatory diesel particulate filters a few years ago with big pushback from the trucking associations.

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

This seems a bit bass ackwards to me. If the goal is to reduce emissions then the criteria should be emissions, not age. A decade or so down the line are they going to reject Tesla Semis just because they're 11 years old when a brand new diesel tractor is far less clean?

It is performance based as older trucks just need to match modern standards/technology.
A 10 year old EV will still meet regulations so there is no upgrade/replacement needed.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

This seems a bit bass ackwards to me. If the goal is to reduce emissions then the criteria should be emissions, not age. A decade or so down the line are they going to reject Tesla Semis just because they're 11 years old when a brand new diesel tractor is far less clean?

Will you even be alive to worry about that? The Tesla semi ptotype was shown in 2017, and production was going to start in 2020, then last year, and then it slipped all the way to 'some time in 2023'. You could order a Kenworth though - they're apparently in production.

[Klazu]

Doing it "for the environment" is BS but doing it to get rid of dangerous semis makes sense. It boggles my mind how many news of RCMP busting semis with barely working breaks there are every single month. often it's close to half of the vehicles they inspect!

Most people don't realize how many poorly maintained vehicles there are on our roads. It is a scary thought and you don't want these tailgating you.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Doing it "for the environment" is BS but doing it to get rid of dangerous semis makes sense. It boggles my mind how many news of RCMP busting semis with barely working breaks there are every single month. often it's close to half of the vehicles they inspect!

Most people don't realize how many poorly maintained vehicles there are on our roads. It is a scary thought and you don't want these tailgating you.

Yes it's insane how many trucks they catch that are driving around dangerously. They need to step up enforcement and regular inspection.

As for the age thing, it's just easier to implement. The airport did it with taxi cabs years ago.

[Jimbo604]

TruckNews.com "Vancouver port defends truck age policy" - July 6, 2021 article

"About 200 trucks rolled from Surrey to downtown Vancouver in a rally organized by the United Truckers Association (UTA) to highlight the “unfair and biased policy” that will prevent trucks more than 10 years old from entering the port in 2022. ..."

You may remember this trucker protest last July. So less than four weeks now until Phase 1 1994-2006 model years ban.

[Sheba]

...and in news that will surprise no one here - Unifor demands further delay on tighter green rules for container trucks

Canada’s largest private-sector union is calling on the federal government to push back a port plan that would impose tighter environmental restrictions on container trucks.

Amid a gnarled global supply chain, Unifor says the Port of Vancouver’s long-scheduled ban on semi-trucks older than 10 years should be delayed beyond its slated date of Feb. 1.

Union president Jerry Dias said Friday the plan should go on pause for two more years and that unless Transport Minister Omar Alghabra steps in, “gridlock will overtake” the country’s biggest port.

The Port of Vancouver first advised the sector of the “10-year rolling truck age program” in 2015 in line with its mandate to protect the environment and facilitate trade, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority said in an email.

Across the region, the program will deliver an estimated 93 per cent decrease in particulate matter, “which is a known carcinogenic air pollutant,” though only a 2.5 per cent drop in carbon dioxide, the port authority said.

The environmental regime, which would require container trucks with engine and exhaust systems more than a decade old to be retrofitted or upgraded, includes an exemption application process for older trucks that can meet green standards.

Unifor, which represents about 280 drivers, said that applying for a temporary exemption comes with large fees for truckers. The union said consultations should resume so as to avoid a hefty toll on big-riggers and port capacity.

[officedweller]

Truckers cry foul over new regulations at Port of Vancouver banning older vehicles
By Simon Little & Neetu Garcha Global News
Posted January 12, 2022 7:15 pm

British Columbia truckers say they’re being unfairly singled out by new regulations at the Port of Vancouver meant to address climate change.

The new Rolling Truck Age Program, which take affect Feb. 1, will deny anyone using a truck more than 10 years old access to the port.
...

Brar doesn’t understand why the regulations are being applied to port truckers, as most vehicles operate well below the allowable diesel emissions standards under B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act.

The Port of Vancouver says more than 80 per cent of vehicles that use the port are already in compliance with the new requirements.

But with between 1,700 and 1,800 trucks currently servicing the port, Unifor western director Gavin McGarrigle said the absence of 20 per cent — more than 340 vehicles — could cause major problems.

“If you take out a couple of hundred trucks right now while you have all these supply chain disruptions and vessels in the harbour, that’s just going to make a bad situation even worse,” McGarrigle said.
...

“It’s easy to be green when you’re green with someone else’s money. In this case, the Port of Vancouver wants a pat on the back for being green, but the cost falls squarely on truck drivers at a time of inflation, supply chain crunches and a real shortage of trucks.”

The United Truckers Association has written to the port urging it to delay the measure, citing the “significant expense” of replacing trucks, and an “extreme shortage” of trucks at dealerships

Gagan Singh, spokesperson for the United Truckers Association, said even if drivers wanted to replace their trucks, dealers have said they won’t have any new models available until 2023.
...

https://globalnews.ca/news/8507476/truckers-cry-foul-port-of-vancouver-regulations-older-vehicles/

[whatnext]

So let me get this straight, we already have supply chain issues and shortages, the Feds just made it worse by requiring all truckers coming into Canada to be vaxxed and the Port of Vancouver really believes it's a good time to bring in a virtue-signalling ban on older trucks?!

[Alex Mackinnon]

Originally Posted by whatnext

So let me get this straight, we already have supply chain issues and shortages, the Feds just made it worse by requiring all truckers coming into Canada to be vaxxed and the Port of Vancouver really believes it's a good time to bring in a virtue-signalling ban on older trucks?!

It was announced in 2015. Some crocodile tears are being shed here.

All these truckers have had 7 years to get their shit together and be ready for compliance.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Alex Mackinnon

All these truckers have had 7 years to get their shit together and be ready for compliance.

I wonder if the supply chain issues have made it harder to buy new tractors for the past year or two. That might have thrown a wrinkle into some truckers' plans. I'm sure nobody would have wanted to buy a new truck until they absolutely had to.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

I wonder if the supply chain issues have made it harder to buy new tractors for the past year or two. That might have thrown a wrinkle into some truckers' plans. I'm sure nobody would have wanted to buy a new truck until they absolutely had to.

Given how lie inventory is for new cars I expect the same for new trucks.