BRITISH COLUMBIA — The BC Trucking Association (BCTA), in partnership with the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, announces the second offering of the CleanBC Heavy-duty Vehicle Efficiency (HDVE) Program.
The Province of BC has committed $1.4 million to a second year of the program that features a course for fleets on fuel management and incentives for the purchase and installation of approved fuel-efficiency devices. For 2020, BCTA will be delivering the CleanBC HDVE Program Course in selected communities and via webinar for trucking companies across BC, with an expanded list of approved devices.
Dave Earle, BCTA president and CEO
“We’re grateful for continued support and commitment from the Province for the CleanBC Heavy-duty Vehicle Efficiency Program, which provides vital funding to assist BC companies in greening their fleets,” says Dave Earle, BCTA president and CEO. “Through the CleanBC HDVE Program, we can collectively do our part in the fight against climate change and, at the same time, implement improvements that put us among the greenest fleets in North America.”
The goal of the CleanBC HDVE Program is to assist BC-based fleets to invest in equipment and best practices for reducing fuel usage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Companies that successfully complete the pre-requisite course and meet all eligibility requirements may apply for rebates of 30 to 50 percent on verified devices and equipment.
BCTA launched the first CleanBC HDVE Program in October 2019, scheduling courses in Langley, Kamloops, and Prince George. This offering saw participants from 117 companies across BC, operating 15,839 heavy-duty vehicles in total. Thirty-seven companies out of 42 applicants successfully obtained funding for fuel-saving equipment such as wide-based tires, aerodynamic devices and auxiliary power units (APUs, for in-cab power services) as well as fuel-efficiency training for drivers. Altogether, BCTA estimates these companies have reduced their emissions by approximately 13.9 million kilograms of CO2, equivalent to removing about 2,934 passenger cars from BC roads.
“Thanks to the CleanBC HDVE Program, we were able to outfit our tractors with clean, electric APUs that have cut idling emissions from our trucks in half,” says Pardeep Arora, director, Triple Eight Transportation Inc. “We’re pleased we’ve reduced our fuel usage and costs while still keeping our drivers comfortable in their vehicles.”
To be eligible to participate, companies must have one or more heavy-duty commercial vehicles in their fleet (a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight greater than 11,794 kg) that is licensed and insured to operate in British Columbia, conducts business in British Columbia, and has a terminal located in British Columbia.
The free, pre-requisite CleanBC HDVE Program Course teaches participants how to develop a Fuel Management Program for any size fleet, incorporating measures to improve fuel economy based on what will work best for each operation. It will also show how to develop a baseline of fuel consumption and track progress as part of the company’s program.
Locations for the CleanBC HDVE Program Course include the Kootenays, Vancouver Island and Langley, as well as through on-line webinars. In response to input from previous participants, we’ve condensed the content for delivery over four hours and will offer sessions on Saturdays, so that operations with fewer staff can attend without affecting their work week.
Registration opens September 17, 2020, for sessions scheduled on October 1 in Langley (BCTA training room) and on September 29, October 13 and October 29 by webinar, with dates for other locations to come. Sessions take place from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, except for the October 13 webinar, which is offered in the afternoon, 12:30 to 4:30 pm. Full details and registration forms will be available on the BCTA training calendar on bctrucking.com.
Upon successful completion of the course, participants are eligible to apply for CleanBC HDVE Program Incentives, featuring rebates on the purchase and installation of qualifying fuel-saving equipment. For the second round of the program, we’ve increased the Incentive amount to $15,000 per vehicle, up from $10,000, leaving the maximum amount per fleet at $100,000. As well, the HDVE Program now allows additional time for successful participants to meet installation requirements: 65 days for retrofits (from 45 days) and 120 days for new equipment (from 90 days).
Applications for Incentives open January 25, 2021, and close February 5, 2021.
Interested fleets are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible. As with the first round, BCTA will be ensuring that funding is allocated equitably among successful applicants by region. Although BCTA is a member-based organization, there is no requirement to belong to the association to participate in the CleanBC HDVE Program.
This is the second of three potential program offerings for which the Province of British Columbia has committed $1.4 million annually.
For more information on CleanBC, please visit https://cleanbc.gov.bc.ca/.
For the expanded list of qualifying equipment eligible for HDVE Program Incentives and the rebates available for each in the second program offering, see:
CleanBC Heavy-duty Vehicle Efficiency Program Year 2 BACKGROUNDER
