I don't pretend to understand the complexities of the trucking industry and its relationship with Lower Mainland ports, but I do know the ongoing dispute has brought to light a couple of issues that have been debated in these parts for years.
The current work stoppage has not only demonstrated how vital ports are to our economy, which has never really been in question, but has also given us a taste of what it would be like if our port facilities didn't keep pace with demand.
Port Metro Vancouver officials have spewed platitudes about the benefits of international trade and the need to accommodate such for so long it's become little more than white noise around here. When you play host to a port, the idea of greater economic good tends to get lost among the ever-increasing number of trucks on the highways, the insatiable appetite for more land and the impacts on a fragile environment. In short, we see the worst in this economic engine for the country.
But when there's a disruption that limits the flow of goods, it doesn't take long to realize how much we depend on that trade in our everyday lives. It might seem trivial, but a piece on the TV news earlier this week about bars worried they wouldn't be getting their shipment of Guinness in time for St. Patrick's Day exemplified how ports touch our lives in so many different ways.
The longer the dispute drags on, the more instances we're going to hear about port-related shortages.
Another issue that has come to the forefront during the work stoppage is the rigidity of the supply chain and the repercussions that creates. Truckers are understandably upset by the amount of time they must wait to either pick up or drop off containers, but despite a number of efficiencies put in place over the years, it's obvious that only so much can be moved in and out of a port over the course of a regular work day.
Should that volume get spread out over a longer period, I assume those delays would be minimized, perhaps even eliminated, but that would take co-operation from all players, including those receiving the shipments, in the supply chain. An 18-or 24-hour day would not only smooth out the congestion being felt at the ports, but it would also take trucks off the road during peak times, quite likely improving the plight of the beleaguered commuter.
And for a community like Delta that bears a greater burden than any other when it comes to truck traffic, that switch can't come soon enough.
