Antique truck museum may move to Merritt, B.C.

 MERRITT, B.C. — The City of Merritt is in talks with the Teamsters union to provide a new home to the Teamsters Freight Transportation Museum.

The museum, which houses about 17 restored transport trucks dating from as early as 1914 through to the 1950s, must move from its Port Coquitlam facility by the end of the year. 

City of Merritt economic development officer Deanne Parise contacted the Teamsters late last winter when she learned they were looking for a new location, and in early May, city officials toured the Port Coquitlam facility.

Curator and retired trucker Norm Lynch started the museum in 1996. It does not have regular operating hours, and tours to see the collection of trucks with nameplates including Hayes Anderson, Federal, and Indiana must be specially arranged.

Teamsters Canada has long covered the collection’s upkeep and provided volunteer help to keep the museum running. But with rent rising, the union wants to hand over the collection to another group’s care. The price is reasonable: $1 on the condition that it stays intact and can be viewed by the public.

Merritt is considered to be a good potential home for the collection, since a number of major highways traverse the Nicola Valley. And local car clubs have expressed interest in donating labour for the truck museum’s day-to-day operations if it moves to Merritt.