Delays at the Peace Bridge

Day 14 of the U.S. government shutdown and the standoff in Washington is being felt by people on this side of the border “at” the border. As Lauran Sabourin reports, some U.S. customs officers are working to rule. And that’s delaying trucks for hours this Thanksgiving weekend.

Truck driver, Ken McDavid crosses the border about three times a week. Monday, he’s delivering soap to a Sam’s Club in Pennsylvania. He says since the U.S. government shutdown he’s been backed up in long lines to get over the Peace bridge: “I’ve been backed up almost to this intersection.”

Normally it should take about 15 minutes to get over to Buffalo.

Steve Baker is also a truck driver: “It’s been up to a two hour delay at times. At times I’ve actually been stopped on the QEW before getting into the marshalling yard to get across the border.”

The rules prevent truck drivers from being on the road for more than 14 hours. Two hours in line means two hours less driving time.

McDavid:  “Nine times out of ten I have an appointment early the next morning. And if I miss my appointment the company gets fined heavily and or they have to re-schedule which is
usually the next day. And I lose a day running.”

Truckers over at the Fifth Wheel in Grimsby say in the past two weeks they’ve been trapped in long lines at the Peace bridge as well, even if they have what they call fast clearance.

About 1.2 million trucks cross the Peace bridge every year. it’s one of the busiest crossings in North America, second only to the Ambassador bridge in Windsor-Detroit.

Anything that slows trucks down isn’t good for the economy. Canadian companies sold more than $460 billion worth of goods to the U.S. last year. And for the most part, it was truck
drivers who delivered it.

Companies are concerned about any slowdowns at the border. With the dollar relatively high and the economy still weak, they do not want their U.S. Customers looking for other suppliers.