News Release Archive
TRANSPORTATION/PUBLIC WORKS--New Salt Haul Payment Structure
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Truckers hauling salt under contract to the Department of
Transportation and Public Works have agreed to a new payment
structure that compensates drivers for the shortest legal route
on which they are permitted to haul.
"The department was paying rates based on the shortest distance
from the Pugwash mine to our salt domes, but some of those routes
can't handle the newer, bigger trucks," Don Downe, Minister of
Transportation and Public Works, said after a meeting Monday with
the Truckers Association of Nova Scotia. "We've agreed to simply
pay truckers for the shortest legal route they are allowed to
travel."
Members of the truckers' association and Transportation and
Public Works vehicles deliver road salt from the Canadian Salt
Co. Ltd. in Pugwash to salt sheds across the province. The shift
to pay for legal distance travelled based on maximum payload is
estimated to add about $200,000 to the department's cost of
hauling salt. The department uses primarily salt in dealing with
ice buildup on roads.
"We think this is the right solution, the fair solution," said
Dave Roberts, spokesman for the Truckers Association of Nova
Scotia, known as TANS. "Truckers only want to be paid for the
routes they are compelled to drive."
Truckers also expressed concern over long waiting times at the
Pugwash mine and a shortage of amenities during those times. Mr.
Downe said the department's four districts will co-ordinate new
dispatch procedures this year to help prevent long delays for
trucks waiting to be loaded. The system will be closely monitored
for the next year.
The minister also said that following correspondence with
Canadian Salt Co. Ltd., portable washrooms will be made
available. Food service has also been arranged with a local
restaurant and truckers can call in orders via CB radio or
telephone.
"We're here to work in a co-operative environment and find
solutions to the concerns of truckers and the department," said
Mr. Downe. "I'm impressed with the spirit of co-operation that
TANS brought into this meeting."
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Contact: Chris Welner
Transportation and Public Works
902-424-8687
Cell: 902-499-0032
E-mail: welnerch@gov.ns.ca
Dave Roberts
Truckers Association of Nova Scotia
902-895-7447
ngr Nov. 25, 1997 9:30 a.m.
