Big rigs, rough roads and tough weather make driving for forestry workers and everyone who shares the roads with them a daily challenge in British Columbia. 

Working together to make it safer for everyone is what Forestry TruckSafe does. The Forestry TruckSafe program brings workers, employers, enforcement and regulatory agencies and the public together to find solutions, talk about best practices, and share information so everyone can follow the same rules of the road.

Sharing the road and getting home safely is what it’s all about.

Browse the right-hand column for summaries of what's inside this Forestry TruckSafe section.

Natural Resource Road Act Website

The Natural Resource Road Act Project Team is pleased to advise that the Natural Resource Road Act Project website is now live. The NRRA Project is taking a different approach to engaging stakeholders in the development of a single Act to support the management of resource roads of British Columbia than was done for Bill 30. Read more...

BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan have come to an agreement in order to harmonize truck weights and dimensions regulations. Some of these changes include:

• a 500-kg increase in steer axle weights (to 6,000 kgs) to accommodate fuel-saving technologies such as APUs and the harmonization of length and width limits for tri-drive trucks, tractors and trailer configurations, allowing fleets to standardize vehicles in western Canada.
• The provinces also agreed to increase length limits for A-, B- and C-train combinations by one metre, so fleets can use full-length tractors in these configurations.
• Harmonization of pilot car rules as the provinces will coordinate enforcement activities so a truck isn't subjected to three inspection blitzes as it travels through the western provinces.

All these changes were made as part of the New West Partnership Trade Agreement and will come into effect July 1, 2011. For access to press release:

• http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2011TRAN0044-000791.htm

Steep Grade Descent Tools

WorkSafeBC regulation 26.2 and the associated Guideline 26.2-2 describe requirements / expectations that before hauling logs on steep grades (greater than 18%), a risk assessment is conducted and safe descent procedures are developed.

FP Innovations has developed two spreadsheet lookup tools that forestry planners and supervisors can use when conducting risk assessments on grades greater than 18%. One sheet is focussed on off-highway fat trucks; the other looks at 6 and 7-axle configurations hauling highway legal loads. These tools provide recommended maximum payloads and speeds for specified road conditions (traction levels, grade, length of grade). Read more...