CALGARY — About 350 trailer owners in Alberta will continue to get a full payload out of their hauls thanks to a recent change of heart from the province.

The provincial government was set to reduce the GVW on trailers manufactured before 1993, beginning in January 2011. For three years, the allowable GVW on these trailers would be reduced by 1,000 kg each year.

The Alberta Construction Trucking Association has insisted for years that a number of these trailers are in good working condition and reducing the GVW would put owners of the trailers in a tough situation. After further consultation between the province and the association, the government has agreed.

Alberta Transportation says it will defer the weight reduction for an indefinite period.

“Following discussions with the trucking industry regarding present and future contracts, the effects of the recession, and the general condition of the existing trailers, the department decided to defer the weight reduction for an indefinite period,” says Alvin Moroz, director of Transport Engineering with Alberta Transportation.

Moroz also says the department will continue to monitor the use and remanufacturing of these trailers, and estimates there are just over 350 carriers with about 500 trailers that fall into this category, and notices are being sent to the owners.

A number of years ago, the province established a mandate to phase out the use of trailers manufactured prior to 1993. The decision was based on a study done in concert with the Road and Transportation Association of Canada (RTAC) back in the ’80s.

The study analyzed weights and dimensions of trailers and found there wasn’t enough of a gap between axles, or they were too narrow. After 1992, all trailers were manufactured to a new standard.

For years these trailers were identified as RTAC and non-RTAC trailers, depending on their manufacturing date. RTAC eventually morphed into TAC and is no longer involved in weights and dimensions. The government now refers to these trailers as conforming and non-conforming.

As part of the mandate, trailers manufactured pre-’93 would be grandfathered into the new standard and the government put a 15-year window on their usefulness. The plan at the time was to reduce their allowable GVW beginning in January 2009.

In 2007, ACTA began lobbying the government to get the sunset date pushed back and the association earned a two-year grace period. During that grace period, the two sides were able to look at the issue closer and come to the current agreement.