Unions adversarial the plans of BC Port to check self-driving vans
Canada’s third largest port is planned to test self-driving trucks as it examines ways to enhance its capacity, first obtained by TYEE and watched by CBC News as per a port authority presentation.
According to the presentation, the Port of Prince Rupert may face the lack of the driver in early 2026, at the same time, it is expected to see a dramatic increase in cargo due to two expansion projects to be completed in 2026 and 2027.
“Container transloded volume will grow significantly between 2035,” said the presentation. According to the presentation, the nearest port in North America, proceeds from the DP World Container Terminal at the Prince Rupert at the nearest port of North America and ahead of the DP World Container Terminal.
The Port Authority conducted an autonomous driving test of about 1,000 km last year and said it plans to do more in June and July.
The Union, representing around 30 truck drivers working at the Port of Teamstors Canada, Prince Rupert, says that it is against the Port Authority’s plan to test self-driving trucks in this heat, arguing that it can give rise to job loss and safety issues.
The test comes after about 7,400 federal employees at more than 30 ports along the coast of British Columbia, stopping billions of dollars in business, partly concern how automation will affect the future of their work.
However, a spokesperson of the Port Authority said that there is no plan to involve self-driving trucks in the port operation at present.
‘We were angry’
Unions representing truck drivers and other workers at Prince Rupert’s port have been stated against the plans of the Port Authority, saying that it can give rise to job loss and safety issues.
Teamstors Canadian Public Affairs Director Christopher Monet told CBC News, “We were angry and were upset and apparently a dead set against the test,” Teamstors Canadian Public Affairs Director Christopher Monet told CBC News.
The union represents about 30 truck drivers at the port, transporting cargo between vessels, warehouses and grain terminals at the port, a process known as drees.
“It’s not that the teams of the team oppose modernization or more efficiency, this is just that we do not want to see mismanagement as innovation,” he said.
A performance evaluation by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence stored Prince Rupert in 399th of 405 container ports for 2023, mainly due to the waiting time.
But there is no consensus on whether robots on waterfront have the key to high performance.
Last year, a report by the Watchdog of an US Congress found that the automation was abolished, but still if the players of other supply chain come on the board then a possible passage to improve port efficiency. A long recovery time for high cost and investment was quoted as other obstacles.
A 2021 report by the organization for economic cooperation and development concluded that “automatic ports are usually not more productive than their traditional counterparts.” A McKins’ survey of 2017 cut labor costs in port automation, but also increased productivity by up to 15 percent.
Previous test
The Prince Rupert Port Authority outsources drivers who are employed by a Prince Rupert-based transport company GATAM Logistics, who refused to comment on the test.
According to the presentation, Port Authority has included Ontario-based self-driving truck company, Nuport Robotics to operate an autonomous Drayage pilot. The company did not respond to an interview request.
Its website states that “autonomous trucks have the ability to change the transport industry, making it safe, more efficient and more durable.”
The Port Authority stated that the autonomous Drayage “will only be considered once that the current driver pool has been maximized.”
It said that a security driver will always be on the driver’s seat during the test.
According to the presentation, the Port Authority started its first test in early 2024. An autonomous tractor covered a distance of about 500 kilometers through a gravel road at an interval of 10 tests. The presentation states that the vehicle reached a speed of 70 kmph.
During another test period, an autonomous truck completed the operation of cargo lifting, with a trailer and container attached.
Job loss, concern over security
Monet said that the Sangh has proposed other ideas to increase cargo capacity, including the workers permission to stop several containers in their trucks.
He said, “We want to ensure that workers’ jobs are protected and we have one. We have a future that comes forward for the port,” he said.
Monet said that the activists were concerned about security.
“Our members report a lot of black snow and slippeage. Truck drivers know how to handle these conditions. Suspecting how well an autonomous vehicle can handle these conditions,” he said.
“An accident is an accident.”
Rob Ashton, president of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada, said he was concerned that the automation can expand other parts of the container terminal.
“I have not heard whether they are or not. But if they try to automate that terminal, it is not that our members can go out and get a job in any other industry here, because too little, if any, if any, the major industries are left in Prince Rupert,” Ashton told the CBC. Debreak North,
The port of Canada’s largest port Vancouver confirmed the CBC that it has “any self-driving truck projects in the tasks”.
