Alberta government recognizing excellence in safe trucking

Alberta’s government has signed a memorandum of understanding to renew the Partners in Compliance (PIC) program which have some local members from this area.

PIC is a voluntary commercial truck safety program that promotes safety excellence for commercial truckers and reduces red tape. B & R Eckel’s transport LTD from Bonnyville, and W-K Trucking from Mundare are members from this area. PIC recognizes members who demonstrate a strong safety culture and operational excellence in commercial transportation in Alberta. Members can receive reduced administrative fees and bypass privileges at most provincial commercial vehicle inspection stations.

“Partners in Compliance is a well-respected safety standard that succeeds because of its members’ exceptional commitment to safety,” Ric McIver, Minister of Transportation said. “Renewing this program will mean safer drivers on Alberta’s roads and reduced costs for our partners. It’s a win-win for Albertans and industry.”

The Partners in Compliance program was established in 1995 to promote safety and encourage high levels of compliance among the commercial carrier industry.

Members of PIC can receive reductions in fees for driver abstracts, commercial driver abstracts, waived Safety Fitness Certificate renewal fees and vehicle inspection facility fees which allows drivers to bypass at most provincial commercial vehicle inspection stations.

“Partners in Compliance is a program of excellence allowing carriers to showcase their safety performance using recognized transportation data,” Brad Beerling, chair, Partners in Compliance said. “Solidifying this partnership ensures continued collaboration to use data to measure carriers by established safety standards and benchmarks providing stakeholders the opportunity to reduce risk by identifying and choosing trusted carriers that invest in safety as a culture. All of this is in the goal of keeping workers and all road users as safe as possible.”

Membership also offers a Safety Fitness Certificate renewal extension, and National Safety Code extension from three years to six, as long as the carrier remains in compliance.

“This is a common-sense arrangement that reduces red tape and protects safety on our roads by requiring members to maintain an ‘Excellent’ safety fitness rating, the highest rating possible in Alberta,” Kaycee Madu, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General said. “To obtain this rating, carriers must hire an independent third party auditor to assess four main areas of compliance – carrier safety, driver safety, drivers’ hours of service and vehicle maintenance.”

There are currently 62 active PIC members in Alberta. For more information click here.

arthur@lakelandconnect.thedev.ca