Union wants fewer driving hours than national standard for log truckers

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — Log truckers in B.C.’s northern Interior won’t be driving an extra hour if the United Steelworkers union has any say in the matter.

The union has joined the Prince George Truckers Association in opposing a push by the forestry sector to allow for more flexible on-duty hours than the upcoming federal hours-of-service rules demand, the Prince George Citizen reports.

BC union, forestry firms debate custom HOS rules for log truckers

B.C. Forest Safety Council wants log truckers to be limited to 13 hours a day, plus two more hours for in-service, which covers waiting time during loading and unloading. That would give drivers an extra working hour compared to 14-hours on, 10-off rules that come into affect Jan. 1, 2007. The council is also calling for a cap of 80 hours over six days, with 30 consecutive hours off duty in each seven-day week.

Currently log truckers are allowed to drive 15 hours a day, with little restriction on the number of hours per week as long as they haul within a 400-km radius of their home base.

Technically, the federal regulations under the National Safety Code only apply to interprovincial truckers, so the province could amend the rules if it wants to.

With that in mind, the Steelworkers union, which represents some log truckers in the region, suggests drivers shouldn’t be working more than 12 hours a day, five days a week, the Citizen reports.

The union also says drivers should have at least 12 hours off between shifts, and night shifts should be reduced to 10 hours.

Federal hours-of-service rules taking affect next year allow 13 hours behind the wheel, but only one allowable non-driving hour, for a total of 14 on-duty hours per day — over a maximum 70-hour week or 120 hours in 14 days. Drivers may reset their hours after 36 or 72 consecutive hours off duty.

Furthermore, after having accumulated 13 hours of driving or 14 hours on-duty time, drivers may not drive again until they have had 8 consecutive hours off duty on top of the additional two hours of break-time required.

The provincial transport ministry is expected to make a decision in May whether to raise, lower, or mirror the federal driving allowance for log truckers in the province.

— with files from the Prince George Citizen