Cross-border truck traffic plunged in early February as border blockades by protestors in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba interrupted trade flow.
While the number of truck drivers was relatively flat in the first two weeks of the month — with just under 99,000 truck drivers crossing the Canada-U.S. border each week — that was down from more than 106,000 truck drivers who made the journey from Jan. 24-30, Truck News reports. It was also down from more than 110,000 who crossed the border during each of those three weeks in 2021.
Overall cross-border truck traffic was down close to 10% year over year.
From Feb. 7-13, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) counted 98,879 truck drivers, down from 110,088 during the same week in 2021, and 109,745 in 2020. Those totals were essentially unchanged compared to Jan. 31-Feb. 6, which saw 98,703 truck drivers in 2022; 110,278 in 2021; and 109,237 in 2020.
Protesters blocked the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont., from Feb 5-13, disrupting $390 million in daily trade and causing several automakers to pause production because of limited parts inventories. Police broke up that blockade after Ontario declared a state of emergency and a court injunction was issued Feb. 11.
Full story here.