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Spring floods costs trucking industry time and money

May 28, 2013 | 6:47 AM

A long winter and flood filled spring has cost the province's trucking industry time and money.

“This has been an awful year,” said Al Rosseker, the executive director of the Saskatchewan Trucking Association.

“It's been that winter hangover that just doesn't seem to go away.”

He said that this year's flooding has caused the trucking industry a lot of problems.

“It constrains us in terms of getting loads from point A to point B on time. We are face with detours a lot of the time,” he explained.

“Detours can be costly because they take more time. That is more driver's time. So overall it slows down loads and makes them more expensive.”

Detours are taking more time because a lot of drivers have switched to driving a turnpike double, which is two 53-foot trailers connected and pulled by one tractor. In regular conditions, the turnpike double is more cost and energy efficient.

“But they are only allowed on certain highways,” Rosseker explained.

“So if that highway has a detour we can't take these trucks on detour routes. We have to unhook these trailers and only take one trailer at a time. That is extremely costly and time consuming.”

Waiting for the road conditions to allow them through will have other consequences as well.

“That creates all kinds of problems: driver fatigue, cost of getting the loads there, fuel consumption. Anytime we are not rolling its a problem,” he said.

The flooding delays have reduced productivity.

“Productivity is down. We are anywhere from five to 12 to 13 points below running at efficiency and it doesn't make any money for us,” he said.

“It's a highly competitive industry and profit margins are thin. Anytime you start going south of the profit margin that doesn't help.”

Yet trucking is an essential service in the province, bringing anything from water, bank notes, truck parts, fuel, or even medicine to the people of Saskatchewan.

“We just have to tough it out,” he said.

“Our clients have signed on for loads to be shipped from point A to point B and sometimes point C. We are responsible for that.”

The busy season for trucking has already started and Rosseker said they see a light at the end of the tunnel.

“It's getting better. It's pretty hard to take on the weather. You have to put up with it and we are doing the best we can,” he said.

Even though the job can sometimes seem thankless, he said he enjoys the uncertainty.

“There is risk and reward. It's an industry that is dynamic and everyday is a little different. It's not nine to five, it's a different challenge everyday so its exciting that way,” he said.

Rosseker made a point to thank the hard work of the Highway Hotline's employees.

“Kudos to the Highway Hotline which has been working overtime in terms of pointing us in the right directions and pointing us where there is road closures, water on the highway, flag persons, and where there is detours,” he said.

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