Alberta enters agreement to reduce inspection stops for oilfield service rigs

The Alberta government has entered into an agreement to cut down on the number of inspection stops for oilfield service rigs.

A new memorandum of agreement with the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors, an industry advocacy group, will integrate drivers into a pre-clearance program, Drivewyze, so approved vehicles can bypass stops at select weigh stations, according to a news release the provincial government issued Thursday.

But association members who subscribe to Drivewyze and meet certain safety benchmarks will be exempt from routine stops at vehicle inspection stations, the release said.

"When [oil rig service providers] load up essentially the same convoy, it's the same trucks with the same weight, with the same equipment that go from location to location," Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen said during a news conference.

"This has been a long-standing industry concern of always having to go to the weight stations."

Before this agreement, these rig convoys had to stop at every vehicle inspection station on their route, the news release said.

But now, transponders on the trucks would allow them to pass by inspection and weigh stations, Dreeshen said, comparing Drivewyze to the federal Nexus program, which was designed to speed up Canada-U.S. border crossings for low-risk, pre-approved travellers.

The agreement will make it easier for the rigs "to spend more time in the field and less time dealing with administrative burdens," Dreeshen said.

Mark Scholz, president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors, said the agreement "recognizes the unique transportation requirements that this industry needs."

The risk level and portfolio of oilfield service rigs are different from other kinds of rigs, because they spend much more time stationary performing well-serving operations, Scholz said, adding that sometimes, the oilfield service rigs drive as little as 500 kilometres a year.

The new agreement "serves as a model for potential alignment with Saskatchewan and Manitoba," the news release said.

The Opposition NDP was unable to provide CBC News with a comment on the new agreement before publication.