Let Car Shippers Decide on Transport Mode

Car transport professionals attending the Translog 2010 conference in Hamilton last week were probably happy to hear the comments by the deputy minister of Ontario's Ministry of Transportation Bruce McCuaig. Comments that were possibly directed toward a question asked during a presentation by the Rail Association of Canada on Tuesday advocating a national modal shift program to create incentives for shippers to use rail or marine transport over road transport vehicles. The presentation talked about strategies and tactics implemented by Alberta, the United Kingdom, and the European Union to decrease the volume of car hauling vehicles on the roads because of concerns about greenhouse gas emissions attributed to road transport vehicles. It also indicated that Manitoba, British Columbia and Ontario are all thinking about model shift programs of the type suggested by the RAC.

What did Mr. McCuaig have to say about implementing a national modal shift program to create incentives to get shippers to use more rail or marine transport in their business dealings? Mr. McCuaig indicated that he wasn't sure the province of Ontario should be trying to steer shippers toward on form of transportation over another. That as far as he was concerned the ministry wasn't in the business of picking the winners and losers in the battle between rail, road and marine transport modes and trying to orchestrate a modal shift might impinge on shippers's rights to select the transportation mode that's best suited for their business needs. That making choices to try to direct freight onto a particular transport mode probably isn't what the agency should be attempting to do.

Mr. McCuaig makes a lot of sense and he'll probably get the support of car shippers considering his comments and beliefs. He seems to have an understanding of some aspects of the transport industry, but his common sense seems to be a main driving force in his statements, and certainly he seems to have an idea of the place the ministry should play in trying to help transport firms make informed transport choices in the future.