Hundreds of non-unionized truckers parked their rigs at locations across the Lower Mainland Wednesday to protest long wait times and low pay at Port Metro Vancouver.
"We don't want to park, we've been trying to get sombody to the table to to talk to us, we've been lobbying everybody. But for whatever reason, they figured the economy had to come to a stop before we could get to the table and start talking," said Manny Dosange, a spokesperson for the United Truckers Association.
Dosange said long wait lines at the Port are impacting the amount of cargo trucks can bring in and have shifted the cost to truckers.
Association members get paid by each load they bring in to the port and with fewer trips, they have been losing money and can't afford to keep their rigs on the road, he said.
The association has issued four other demands to the port, ranging from setting and enforcing new rates, addressing the licensing system to clarifying rules about equipment on their trucks.
The truckers started their job action in Delta this morning, at a truck stop on Highway 91 near Highway 10.
The port is one of North America's largest export ports, trading $172 billion in goods annually.
In a written statement, the Port blamed weather conditions in eastern and central North America, as well as storms across the Pacific Ocean, for impacting the movement of goods and causing extended delays for truckers.
With files from the Canadian Press
