Truckers Give a Big 10-4 on Green Rebates

When the Climate & Green Plan Implementation office started the Efficient Trucking Program (ETP), they made sure to form a team that represented a good cross-section of people to both identify and address issues with transportation and fuel efficiency. Brad Franck works for the Manitoba government in business development. He describes the Efficient Trucking Program team this way:

"We have an advisory board consisting of three of us from the government, a couple from Efficiency Manitoba (looking at rebate programs and eligibility), a couple from the Manitoba Trucking Association, and a couple from RRC Polytech (who look at operations and eligibility intakes). All of us are passionate about reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GGEs). I work with the scientists and engineers, looking at feasibility, viability, building a business case, and implementing some of the projects. We then pull in other people as we need them, for any other research."

The program started out of Canada's low-carbon economy fund. The Manitoba government receives funds allocated to the province and invests in green energy initiatives, "Transportation was a natural fit for Manitoba," says Brad. "It was a high-priority area that we wanted to support. We thought by offering trucking companies rebates it was a win-win. The companies make their money back quickly, through their fuel savings, and we reduce GGE for future generations."

The program is structured as a rebate where truckers and companies pay the upfront costs and are later reimbursed for their expenses, "How it works is, truckers pay a minimum of 50% for retrofitting of fuel saving devices and technology, then both the federal and the Manitoba government both match at 25% each," Brad explains. The dollar value of reimbursement is determined by market averages for each device.

Truckers get to save on fuel, but also get to save on the purchase of the fuel-saving device. "So that's a good incentive for truckers to get on board. They're purchasing devices and technology that they may not have been able to afford or handle previously. It's educational too, in that, aside from emissions reductions, you can see -- when you invest in your rig, tractor, or trailer -- the benefits and savings, such as litres of fuel saved."

For the Manitoba government this program delivers on the promises outlined in the Climate and Green Plan. Brad says, "This is an important economic stimulus for Manitoba because it helps keep the trucking sector competitive, delivering the goods on a lesser amount of fuel. We're hoping this continues to change mindsets on how we can be more competitive within various industries, and continue finding new investment opportunities with a green bottom line."e;

The combined efforts of the team have clearly been a help to the trucking industry in reducing emissions. As of March 31, 2022, results of the ETP demonstrated the following measurable results:

• 366 successful applications
• 3,627 units (1,934 trucks and 1,693 trailers) receiving fuel savings device installations^*
• 13,583 tons of reduced emissions
• 5 million+ litres of fuel or 213,047 gigajoules saved
• $21.1 million in economic growth achieved in Manitoba via investment from the truckers (50%), Canada (25%) and Manitoba (25%)
• 115 full-time equivalent jobs have been created or maintained (based on Statistics Canada calculations)

  ^*All installation services and eligible fuel saving products are purchased in the Province of Manitoba.