Port Metro Vancouver (PMV) on February 21 announced a new strategy to make the container truck sector more reliable and efficient.
The main prong in the port’s three-year smart fleet trucking strategy will be to equip trucks that enter port lands with GPS devices so PMV officials can keep track of where they are.
“The GPS devices allow our people back in our operation centre to have a bird’s eye view of every truck and what they’re doing,” PMV spokesman Godfrey Tait told Business in Vancouver.
“It’s been a very collaborative measure with the trucking sector to implement.”
The provincial government is contributing $300,000 to the initiative and the Ottawa is chipping in $450,000.
The number of trucks equipped with GPS units will jump to 1,000 from about 300. This will mean about half of the local truck fleet that enters port lands will be equipped.
Container traffic through Canada’s Pacific gateway is expected to double during the next 15 years and triple by 2030.
“In 2012, container traffic at PMV reached a new record of 2.7 million 20-foot equivalent units and that number will continue to grow,” said PMV CEO Robin Silvester.
“Given that a large proportion of container traffic moves to and from the terminals by truck, improvements to reliability and efficiency are vital.”
PMV launched the first rollout of GPS devices last year.
