BCTA seeks idle management regulation in province

BCTA (B.C. Trucking Association) is advocating for a province-wide idle management regulation for the medium- and heavy-duty commercial road transportation sector.

Greenhouse gas emissions from the commercial road transportation sector has grown by 27% over the past decade (2007-2018), and BCTA modelling is forecasting growth of 17.3% by 2030, according to a press release. Many North American jurisdictions have implemented legislation and regulations to limit engine idling.

On average, heavy-duty commercial vehicles idle for 1,800 hours per year, and as a result burn approximately 7,200 litres of diesel and emit roughly 18,720 kg of carbon dioxide emissions.

Some idle management regulations that have been implemented are:

• Vancouver: all motor vehicles, three consecutive minutes in a 60-minute period
• Revelstoke: all motor vehicles, three consecutive minutes when not in motion
• Toronto: all motor vehicles, one minute in a 60-minute period when not in motion
• Banff: all motor vehicles, no idling permitting other than exemptions
• Gatineau: all motor vehicles, three minutes in a 60-minute period

This regulation would apply to all commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight larger than 11,794 kilograms and prohibit idling for longer than five minutes in a 60-minute period when the vehicle is stationary.

Exemptions to this regulation could include:

• Emergency activity/personnel
• Traffic and weather conditions
• For maintenance/repair purposes
• A diesel-fueled truck operating in ambient air temperature below 0 degrees Celsius, or above 28 degrees Celsius for more than two hours
• A vehicle using an auxiliary power unit, generator set, cargo temperature control, or other idle reduction technology that maintains heat or air conditioning or provides electrical power
• A vehicle using power to perform its duties (e.g., crane, concrete, picker, hydrovac, bulk liquid pump)