Truckers deal addresses underlying problem at Vancouver port: expert

VANCOUVER – An expert says an agreement that ended a weeks-long truckers strike at Canada’s largest port appears to be the first real attempt to address the root causes of disruptions at Port Metro Vancouver.

The deal was announced Wednesday after negotiations between the truckers, the B.C. government, Ottawa, the port and shippers.

Much of the discussion about the agreement has focused on pay increases and fees for truckers stuck waiting at the port.

But University of British Columbia professor Garland Chow says provisions to keep terminals open longer could prove more important over the long term.

Chow says there likely isn’t much the container terminals can do to significantly improve productivity, which leaves extending the port’s hours as the most effective way to ensure drivers can complete more trips in a given day.

The agreement allows shippers to nominate one of four container terminals to extend hours, depending on volume, and it ensures terminals would be compensated if they lose money during those periods.