Good day,
Construction officially began to expand the Trans Mountain pipeline and nearly triple its capacity so more petroleum products can flow from western Canada’s oil sands to British Columbia.
Work on the physical pipeline itself officially began in Alberta on Dec. 3. The pipeline should be in the ground by Christmas, the Trans Mountain Corporation said,
The milestone brought cautious hope to western Canada’s beleaguered energy sector, whose low-density oil sands have been hit hard by the decline in global petroleum prices.
Trans Mountain will be able to handle nearly 900,000 barrels per day once the project is finished – slated for 30 to 36 months. The additional capacity could allow for additional exports to Asia from the Port of Vancouver.
Did you know?
Preliminary orders for new Class 8 trucks totaled 17,300 units in November – the worst showing for the month since 2015 and 39% below a year earlier.
Quotable:
“It’s not about speed because we don’t want speed. What we’re looking for is power in order to pull water pipes, the garbage trailers. They’ll have twice the loads of a normal truck.”
– Adrián Esper Cárdenas, mayor of Ciudad Valles, Mexico, on his city’s recent order of 15 Tesla Cybertrucks.
In other news:
Woman driver trainee sues carrier, alleging sexual harassment and abuse
A woman training to be a truck driver has sued New Prime Inc., seeking $11 million in damages, on allegations of sexual harassment and abuse. (Oregon Live)
Egyptian startup Trella acquires rival Trukto
Trella, an Egyptian freight marketplace startup, has acquired rival Truktol. (MENA Bytes)
Sweden’s Volta to build electric truck prototypes in U.K.
Swedish startup Volta plans to build a prototype for its new electric truck in the United Kingdom with partner Prodrive. (Motoring Research)
Tevva to boosting production of electric truck
U.K.-based Tevva plans to boost the forthcoming production of its 12-ton electric truck in response to feedback at a recent trade show. (Motor Transport)
Dairy facility to cut truck emissions, transport costs
A forthcoming dairy facility in Alberta, Canada, will allow producers to reduce the volume of milk by half to reduce the costs and emissions from truck transport. (High River Online)
Final thoughts:
The expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline will require more than 600 miles of pipe. As a result, the project has offered a much-needed boost to trucking and oil services firms in western Canada, including Mullen Group.
The expansion has faced years of delays because of numerous legal challenges, primarily on environmental grounds.
One group, Ecojustice, plans to take its case to Canada’s Supreme Court – setting the stage for a potential disruption to the project down the road.
Hammer down everyone!