Trucking Programs
Transportation partnership programs allow shippers or receivers in Saskatchewan to increase productivity through reduced transportation costs. This is done by using vehicles that safely exceed current regulated weights and/or dimensions. In exchange, partners pay for any incremental damage to provincial infrastructure.
Benefits
- Enhances truck safety by controlling routes, speeds, vehicle configurations and driver qualifications.
- Allows larger, more efficient vehicles with higher payloads.
- Promotes efficient, road-friendly vehicles.
- Minimizes impact on road infrastructure by encouraging use of pavement friendly technologies and practices.
- Ensures taxpayers do not subsidize costs associated with the impact of program trucks on the highway infrastructure. This is done by charging partners for any incremental road damage and redirecting those funds back to infrastructure improvements and/or maintenance.
Vehicle weights and dimensions in Saskatchewan are limited by regulation to ensure the safety of the travelling public and to allow the efficient transportation of goods within and through the province.
Trucking Partnership Agreements
A Trucking Partnership Agreement (TPA) is an agreement between the government and a shipper or receiver to allow the movement of goods by trucks that:
- carry divisible loads;
- exceed regulated weights and/or dimensions;
- make multiple trips; and
- are on defined routes.
Under the demonstration project, carriers using tri-drive trucks are allowed to pull both pony trailers and full trailers. The government is also allowing carriers to transport additional weight under these configurations.
1. Bulk Haul Partnership Agreements
Bulk Haul Partnership Agreements allow movement of freight at weights and/or dimensions exceeding those defined in regulation on provincial highway system.
- Defined routes designated within agreement.
- Limited to 31 metres maximum length on the two-lane system.
- Incremental road costs (including pavement and bridge costs) are paid to the Transportation Partnerships Fund (TPF) by the agreement partner.
- An administration fee of $2,000 is charged annually.
- Vehicle permits issued according to agreements.
- Hauls on Thin Membrane Surface (TMS) highways are only allowed if Centralized Tire Inflation (CTI) technology is utilized.
Additional Conditions of Bulk Haul Agreements:
- Quarterly Reporting and TPF Payments.
- Speed is restricted on the loaded trip (speed recording devices are required) on all vehicles exceeding primary weights.
- No agreement will be taken where the vehicle fails to meet dynamic stability criteria even at reduced speeds.
- Drivers are subject to special qualifications and performance criteria.
- Where practical, the shipper must pass a pre-entry audit.
- Incremental road costs are calculated differently for rail competitive routes and non-rail competitive routes to support the provincial policy of encouraging rail use.
Incremental Road Damage and Annual Administration Fee
Annual Administration Fee
- As a part of the Transportation Partnership Agreement, shippers agree to pay an annual administration fee to the ministry. The fee offsets the cost of administering the agreement.
- Fees cover the costs of developing and maintaining the agreement, issuing permits, conducting safety audits. Research and development projects costs aimed at improving the safety and efficiency of the trucking industry are also covered in the fees.
Incremental Road Damage
- As a part of the Transportation Partnership Agreement, shippers agree to pay for any incremental damage to the provincial infrastructure as a result of using heavier weights on the highways. Incremental damage is route and configuration specific and is unique to each agreement.
2. Timber (Forestry) Trucking Partnership Agreements
Timber Haul Agreements are between the province and forestry product shippers to move overweight/over-dimensional vehicles on the provincial highway system.
Haul agreements are not taken with truckers or trucking companies – only with timber processors.
Freight includes round wood, wood waste and finished wood products.
Forestry Haul Agreement Principles
- Allow movement of forestry products at weights and/or dimensions exceeding those defined in regulation on provincial highway system.
- Defined routes designated within agreement.
- Incremental road costs (including pavement and bridge costs) are paid to the Transportation Partnership Fund (TPF) by the agreement partner.
- An administration fee of $2000 is charged annually.
- Vehicle permits issued according to agreements.
- TMS hauls are only allowed if CTI technology is used. Winter Hauls on TMS may be allowed without CTI.
Additional Conditions of Forestry Product Haul Agreements
- Quarterly reporting and TPF payments.
- Speed recording device required and speed is restricted on the loaded portion of the trip.
- Drivers are subject to special qualifications and performance criteria.
- No agreement will be taken where the vehicle fails to meet dynamic stability criteria even at reduced speeds.
- Where practical, the shipper must pass a pre-entry audit.
3. Over-dimensional Vehicle Partnership Agreement
A permit will allow the vehicle to carry more cargo as long as it does not exceed any other legal dimension they are permitted for. If this occurs, they would require a TPA.
The Over-dimensional Vehicle Haul Partnership Agreement allows the movement of over-length or over-width vehicles and/or loads on the provincial highway system.
- Carrier must follow routes designated in agreement.
- An administration fee of $1,000 is charged annually.
- Vehicle permits issued according to agreements.
- Permits will show permitted dimensions.
Additional Conditions of Over-dimensional Haul Agreements
- Dynamic stability characteristics must be within safe limits.
- Speed is restricted (speed recording devices are required) for vehicles or loads exceeding 26 m in length and/or over legal width and for all configurations where reduced speeds would bring dynamic stability within Transportation Association of Canada standards.
- Operation not allowed where inclement weather or other conditions impair visibility (rain/snow), traction (ice) or handling (winds).
- Drivers are subject to special qualifications and performance criteria where length exceeds 26 m.
- Vehicles exceeding specific dimensions must be properly flagged and/or lit and accompanied by escort vehicle(s).
- Hours of operation are restricted where required in accordance with The Vehicle Weight and Dimension Regulations, 2010.
When vehicles exceed a regulated dimension with a single piece of cargo, they can be issued single trip permits through the SGI permit office (In Province: 1-800-667-7575, Out-of-Province: 1-306-775-6969).
4. Container Transfer Partnership
Container Transfer Agreements are between the province and trucking company or shipper to move loaded or empty containers on a container chassis on the provincial highway system.
Container Transfer Partnership Agreement Principles
- Allow movement of containers from rail transfer facilities to holding yards or to shippers using container chassis.
- Defined routes designated within agreement.
- Limited to 31 metres max. length on the two-lane system, limited to 41 metres max length on the four-lane system, and up to 45 metres with a triple trailer unit on designated routes.
- An administration fee of $2,000 is charged annually.
- Vehicle permits issued according to agreements.
Additional Conditions of Container Transfer Partnership Agreements
- Configurations must meet or exceed relevant TAC standards.
- Vehicle configurations may utilize 1 to 3 trailers.
- Wider axles may be required depending on weights and configuration.
- Speed is restricted to 90 km/h maximum on the loaded and return trips for over-length configurations and speed recording devices are required.
- Over-length vehicles are restricted by route and hours of operation.
- Drivers are subject to special qualifications and performance criteria.
- The shipper must pass a pre-entry audit.
- Permission must be obtained by the partner from applicable municipal authorities for travel off the highway system.
- Quarterly reporting and TPF Payments.
This policy is in place to facilitate the efficient transfer of loaded and empty containers between the shipper and the railway.
5. Value-added Agricultural Products Partnership Agreements
Allow movement of goods at primary weights on secondary weight roads (including TMS roads).
- Maximum weights not to exceed primary weight.
- The ministry will designate approved routes.
- Spring road bans will be followed, except in special circumstances (i.e. commodities that only move in ban period such as seed potatoes).
- Full incremental road damage is charged.
- An annual administration fee of $200 is charged each year.
The agreements apply to truck hauls moving:
- Potatoes
- Pulse crops
- Oil seeds
- Feed grains
- Livestock to intermediary or processing facilities
- Agricultural products in containers or trailer on flat car trailers
Additional Conditions of Value-Added Agricultural Products (VAAP) Agreements
- VAAP Agreements are not taken with individual producers.
- Generally, only for outbound product or product moving to feedlots or local processors.
- Annual reporting and TPF payments.
Incremental Road Damage and Annual Administration Fee
- Annual Administration Fee
- As a part of the Transportation Partnership Agreement, shippers agree to pay an annual administration fee to the ministry. The fee offsets administration as well as the costs of developing and maintaining the agreement, issuing permits, conducting safety audits, and research and development projects aimed at improving the safety and efficiency of the trucking industry.
- Incremental Road Damage
- As a part of the Transportation Partnership Agreement, shippers agree to pay for any incremental damage to the provincial infrastructure as a result of using heavier weights on the highways. Incremental damage is route and configuration specific and is unique to each agreement.