Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today with concerns that I’ve expressed in the House before about NWT commercial vehicle issues.
I continue to hear complaints about how there are inconsistencies between the jurisdictions of NWT and Alberta, where we get the majority of our commodities from. In this House I’ve talked about tri-drives, and the fact that the GNWT and the NWT motor vehicles don’t recognize the tri-drive vehicle heavy truck. There’s an extra axle, but it’s supposed to be better for the roads. Some of the government departments actually request this type of truck when they’re transporting some of the heavy equipment that’s on the highways out there today.
Other inconsistencies between jurisdictions are we currently require them, in our jurisdiction, to have a commercial licence plate on the front. In Alberta they require that in the back of the truck where, in theory, the person, the trucker is supposed to get out of the vehicle and change licence plates when he gets to the Northwest Territories. When he goes back into Alberta, he’s supposed to turn around and put it back on to the back end of the vehicle. Also, wide load sign regulations are completely different in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
There are other areas in the regulations that are affecting people in our jurisdiction. I have heard some of this is due to the new bridge tolls, but commercial vehicles or commercial pickups that are over 4,500 kg require a class 3 driver’s licence. That means if you have a one-ton pickup pulling a trailer, you are now required to have a class 3 driver’s licence. There are a lot of companies out there that have people that have a class 5 driver’s licence doing whatever commercial work, driving a one-ton pickup, just the pickup, but it’s pulling a trailer, so now it’s over 4,500 kg. Now those people, they have to get a class 3 licence in order to do that. That’s very ineffective for people to work. In Alberta, a pickup is a pickup. It doesn’t matter what it’s pulling.
The way it’s set up right now is those people could take their driver’s licence under that configuration.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Under current regulations they could get a class 3 driver’s licence driving a one-ton pickup pulling a trailer, and then turn around and jump into a gravel truck fully loaded with gravel out on our commercial highways, and if they got the air brake endorsement, they could jump in that gravel truck, but only getting it with a pickup truck.
It just seems that we have too many inconsistencies and our regulations are not conducive to business in the Northwest Territories. We need to look at these regulations. It just seems like the Department of Transportation seems to be slowing down the working class in this territory.
I will have questions for the Minister of Transportation later today.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
