September 25, 2000 Truckers win fuel cost relief Industries to pay surcharges to offset rising prices

By Stan Josey Toronto Star Durham Region Bureau Chief Ontario's independent truckers have won some relief from rising diesel fuel costs after several major industries agreed to start paying additional fuel surcharges starting today.

Some militant members of the National Truckers Association, who have parked their rigs and also caused traffic disruptions in recent days, are expected to be back on the job today while the final details of the deal are worked out.

Ontario Economic Development Minister Al Palladini yesterday called the surcharge agreement a breakthrough in the quest for long-term relief for truckers, who have faced a 75-per-cent increase in fuel prices over the last year. The surcharges will increase the amount drivers are paid under existing contracts that have locked-in freight rates.

Palladini urged all truckers,including aggregate haulers, who staged their own protest over axle-weight restrictions late last week, to ``remain calm, and work toward a solution.

``Any disruption at this point will be detrimental to a successful resolution.''

Bill Wellman, president of the truckers' association that represents 1,800 owner-operators who haul most consumer products, told the news conference the agreement was not a final deal but was a ``significant step forward'' and ``good enough for me.

``There will be more money in our pockets Monday morning . . . and that's more than we have got in the last 20 years.''

He hoped truckers would stay calm and wait for further developments this week.

Wellman said truckes should go back to work while the final details of an agreement are worked out.

But after he gave sketchy details of the agreement to about 20 owner-operators, camped out in their rigs at a Whitby fuel depot since Friday, some said an oral agreement was not good enough.

``I want to see something in writing,'' said Brian Jones, a trucker for 20 years.

``I just hope this isn't another bunch of empty promises like we got after our last protest in February.''

Palladini said the breakthrough came after four days of meetings between his department and representatives of the freight shippers. The major customer of the independent trucker is the automotive industry.

But he called it only a first step and said a working group - comprised of representatives of the federal and provincial governments as well as industry and trucking representatives - has been appointed to work on other issues in the trucking industry.

Wellman said the outstanding issues include a regular cost-of-living boost for truckers and improved trucking rates - the mileage payment truckers receive for hauling goods.

Palladini said details of the surcharge and which industries would pay it likely would be announced by the industries today.

In a related development, about 200 gravel-hauling truckers agreed to end their blockade of a government weigh station on Highway 401, east of James Snow Parkway in Milton, after a deal was reached on load weights.

The gravel haulers had been upset because their loads were being weighed at each axle, which resulted in heavy fines when loads were not distributed properly. Under the deal, a motorized shovel will be used at the weigh station to even out the loads.

http://www.thestar.com/editorial/news/20000925NEW01c_NU-TRUCK25.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), September 25, 2000