The proposed amendments to the hours-of-service provisions are feared because they could potentially shorten hauls, require more drivers, lead to a shortage or perhaps worse, make it easier to put less qualified drivers on the road. Not to mention the lack of overnight parking, congestion and delays in delivering goods particularly to rural areas. But what no one has mentioned, until now, is the impact on cross-border drivers. André Perret, who runs The Road-Scholar, a Hamilton-based fleet loss-prevention, safety and compliance services firm, says the required starts and stops will disrupt Continue Reading

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published its final rule that eliminates the need for Canadian insurance companies to maintain U.S.-issued policies. The FMCSA supported the rule in part because Canada does not impose similar standards on the U.S. The rule, which will take effect on Continue Reading

Two of Canada’s provinces are making an effort to break down barriers in order to boost transportation efficiency. Officials in Alberta and Saskatchewann signed a Memorandum of Understanding that is intended to help grow both provinces’ economies. The agreement is set to harmonize permit conditions for, among others: oversize and overweight loads; the movement of manufactured homes; and relating to the National Continue Reading

Businesses and unions can’t quite agree on who’s to bear the blame over trade, tariffs and potentially jobs lost since a cross-border trucking program with Mexico was abandoned. A recent study released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce holds the government responsible for failing to implement certain provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Specifically, the study claims it has cost the nation $2.2 Continue Reading

State officials in Maine are investigating whether traffic projections will deem a third bridge crossing from New Brunswick necessary. Another border bridge crossing will be out of commission with repairs necessitated by flood damage. But perhaps of greatest concern is the U.S. General Services Administration’s decision to build Continue Reading

The state of Maine has proposed a one-year pilot program, increasing its Interstate highway system’s weight limit from 80,000 pounds to 100,000 pounds. Finally, its truck weight restrictions are in line with Eastern Canada. The Atlantic Provinces Chambers of Commerce (APCC) applauded the move, citing improved efficiency and Continue Reading

Month-to-month trade among North American Free Trade Agreement partners fell 3.7 percent from April to May, but the year-over-year monthly decline was the fifth consecutive plunge of at least 27 percent. From May 2008 to May 2009, surface transportation among the United States Canada and Mexico dropped 35.4 percent, making it the Continue Reading

Struggling economic times tend to heighten protectionist urges, but the former U.S. Ambassador to Canada is espousing the need for free-trade initiatives. Speaking recently in Quebec City, Gordon Griffin cited the growth that both Canada and the United States have experienced as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). From Continue Reading

The latest move in a decades-long battle to open the U.S.-Mexican borders to Mexican trucks is a $6 billion lawsuit filed by Mexico’s trucking lobby for financial losses the industry has experienced in the last three years. Under the Bush administration in 2007, registered Mexican truckers were allowed to operate inside the Continue Reading

Though the Obama administration will soon consider re-opening the U.S.-Mexican border to trucking, thousands of Mexican truckers have filed suit against the U.S. government citing its violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA would have given Mexican truckers limited Continue Reading