By Philip Raphael

Truck trains are coming to South Delta’s roads and Delta North MLA Guy Gentner says it’s the wrong choice in regards to safety and environmental sustainability.

Gentner said the 30.5-metre long trailers coming here—about five metres longer than regular semi trailers—work well in relatively isolated regions such as the Australian Outback and across the prairies between Calgary and Edmonton where they are commonplace and can run up to 41 metres long. But Delta’s already busy highways are not the place for them.

Maersk Distribution has applied to run the extra long trucks, known as Long Combination Vehicles, from Deltaport to its Tilbury area container facility. This summer, Delta Council approved the application and six-month pilot project. This would be the first time such trucks would be used within the Lower Mainland. The longer versions, known as B-Trains, are permitted to travel from the Lower Mainland to Kamloops and Kelowna.

Gentner said he fears for the safety of the public citing the high failure rates many trucks serving the Delta area have racked up in the past when inspection blitzes have been conducted.

He added the argument that double-length trucks would reduce the number of trucks on the roadways and lighten the load on the environment is specious.

Gentner said “truck trains” are an unsustainable method of transport and suggested barging containers along the Fraser River is a better, “greener” option.

Also concerned about the situation is Delta South MLA Vicki Huntington who said having the truck trains on the forthcoming South Fraser Perimeter Road, while not entirely dedicated to trucks, is one thing.

“But having them on our current roads is a recipe for disaster,” she said. “Having truck trains going on a straight line between urban centres like in the Outback and on a flat and straight line along the prairies is okay. But in a mountainous province like ours and on roads here that are not equipped to handle such long vehicles, well, you’re just asking for trouble.”

Huntington said she understands and appreciates the trucking industry’s desire to reduce costs, but added, “It’s a dangerous situation and I can’t support it.”

Mayor Lois Jackson said there was plenty of discussion among council members about the issue and touted the environmental savings as the main reason to approve the six-month trial.

“You know, one of the biggest problems we have on our highways, 17, 99 and 91, is the number of trucks. And when you double them up (truck trailers) that’s one less truck on the road, one less diesel engine,” she said. “And these trucks are used all over the world very successfully.”

Asked what she thought the public’s reaction to the truck trains might be, Jackson said she hoped people would keep an open mind and consider the potential benefits.

Louise Yako with the B.C. trucking Association said the longer vehicles should be safer than regular length trucks since drivers need additional qualifications and experience to operate them.

Yako added the trucks also present significant cost and environmental savings in the region of 50 per cent.

No date has been set for the six-month trial to commence.

Delta’s director of engineering, Steven Lan, said there still needs to be some intersection improvements in the Tilbury area to accommodate the long trucks’ turning radius.

Officials from Maersk were not available for comment at press time.