CRA Meetings

Rolling equipment regs dominate CRA B.C. meeting
Regulations regarding the plated status of all rolling equipment were the main topic of conversation at the most recent meeting of the Canadian Rental Association’s British Columbia local chapter.
The meeting took place at Rentquip in Richmond, B.C., and brought together more than 50 rental professionals to network and learn.

Rob Termunde of ICBC spoke on rolling equipment regulations.

As previously stated, the hot-button issue at the meeting was the plating and insurance of rolling equipment. According to regulations set out by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), all rolling equipment that operates in a publicly accessible place must have appropriate plates.

Rob Termunde of ICBC addressed attendees on this topic. The example he used to define what is and is not a publicly accessible place was that of a golf course parking lot. If the lot is ungated, then it counts as publicly accessible, even if it’s entirely on private property.

The weight of the equipment in question typically determines what kind of plates are required. “R” plates are for any rolling equipment under 1600 kg. “X” plates are reserved for equipment over this weight limit.

Part of the issue about these regulations is that they apply not only to vehicles, but to all wheeled equipment such as scissor lifts.

Jim Clipperton of Nor-Val Rentals is the president of the CRA B.C. local chapter and was in attendance at the meeting. He summed up one of the key objections that rental operators have to these regulations.

The April meeting of the CRA B.C. Local was one of the best attended so far.

“Say you drop a scissor lift off in the parking lot of your local Future Shop. That parking lot counts as a highway, so the scissor lift has to be plated and insured. Once it’s inside the building, it doesn’t need insurance. Ninety-nine per cent of the time, the equipment is going to be somewhere that it doesn’t need insurance. The regulations say that we have to insure these things for one per cent of their working life,” says Clipperton.

Although incurring major expenses didn’t raise anyone’s spirits, Clipperton points out that the meeting had at least one positive effect.

“We had people out at the meeting that aren’t even members of the association,” says Clipperton. “It was a good chance for them to see the kind of work we do, and to find out that we’re ready to fight for the interests of rental operators.”

The next meeting of the CRA B.C. local chapter will take place at Rogers Rents in Kamloops.

Cautious optimism at CRA Alberta meeting
Alberta’s contractors appear to be cautiously optimistic about the rest of 2010. That was the consensus at the latest meeting of the Alberta Local chapter of the Canadian Rental Association, which took place April 13 at the offices of Cavalier Industries in Edmonton.

Guest speaker David MacAngus gave an entertaining and informative look at sales training.

The Alberta economy is slowly revving up, and there is light at the end of the tunnel for rental operators,” said Marc Mandin, chief operating officer of 4-Way Equipment Rentals in Edmonton, Alta. “Ground work contractors are bidding up a storm. Others state that better projects are being put out for tender than in 2009. Residential construction is up as much as 33 per cent over 2009, so we know some consumers are optimistic.”

Associate members report that the purse strings are opening up and rental operators are starting to re-tool their fleets so many are confident 2010 will be a good year.

Rental pros from Hertz Equipment Rentals share their experiences. These informal mini-meetings are one of the most valuable aspects of CRA local events.

Jim Johnson and his staff at Cavalier Industries treated all attendees to a pig roast and a tour of the company’s new facilities in West Edmonton. Roughly 45 members and potential members came out to enjoy Cavalier’s hospitality, swap rental stories and get the latest rumblings on the industry. The guest speaker for the event was David MacAngus from Dale Carnegie Training. MacAngus presented an entertaining look at the value sales training can bring to any company, large or small. MacAngus illustrated his talk with practical demonstration of the skills developed during sales or management training using the tried and tested Dale Carnegie strategies.

The next event for the CRA Alberta Local association will be the 16th Annual Alberta Golf Tournament, taking place June 8 at the River Bend Golf Course in Red Deer. For more information, please contact Paul Dorion of Hertz Equipment Rental at 780-440-5910 or Orrin Knapp of RSC Equipment Rental at 780-410-7221.

Canadian Rental Service magazine would like to extend thanks to Marc Mandin for providing photos and info on the Alberta meeting, and to Jim Clipperton for photos and info on the B.C. meeting. We’re dedicated to covering the Canadian rental industry, and greatly appreciate the time taken by members of the industry in sending news our way. Please contact Mike Davey at mdavey@annexweb.com if you’ve got a story to tell.