A survey released by the Canadian Trucking Alliance indicates a majority of Canadian carriers throughout the supply chain are feeling the effects of U.S. tariffs.
Nearly 70% of the survey respondents said they have canceled or paused shipments destined for the U.S. as customers and suppliers struggle to determine actual product value and who pays additional costs associated with the tariffs.
Lumber, oil products, fertilizers, farming equipment, tires and general food products are among the affected commodities, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance.
“About 80% of Canada-US trade moves by Canadian trucks,” Stephen Laskowski, president and CEO of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, said in a statement. “We are now entering a business cycle with a tremendous amount of uncertainty brought on by tariffs. This is further compounding poor economic conditions prior to tariffs being implemented, an underground economy that is wiping out competitiveness in the Canadian trucking industry and an artificial rush to get product over the border to avoid new tariffs.”
Trucking jobs surge in March ahead of widespread tariffs.
70% of Carriers See Freight Drop; Further Tariffs Could Be ‘Breaking Point’: CTA Survey https://t.co/xUDzgiRarX pic.twitter.com/zlBIQhFIOX
— CTA (@CanTruck) April 15, 2025
Survey respondents went as far as to characterize business conditions as “perilous.”
“Our members’ customers are facing a precipitous drop in demand for their goods, which could leave trucks parked on the sidelines indefinitely,” Laskowski said. “Once capacity is drained from the cross-border sector, it will be dumped into the Canadian market, creating unsustainable business conditions and a nuclear winter for Canada-U.S. freight movement.”
The number of trucks crossing the border has remained steady, while the Blue Water Bridge has even seen an increase in commercial traffic – potentially a result of increasing toll rates on the Ambassador Bridge, the Canadian Trucking Alliance said.
However, almost 70% of the carriers responding to the Canadian Trucking Alliance survey said they are monitoring the size of their labor pools. Additionally, 60% of respondents said a prolonged trade war could put their business operations at serious risk, and only 10% said replacing international business with domestic freight would be an option.
Survey respondents indicated no impact on demand for northbound freight originating from the U.S.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance said it has made recommendations to the Council of the Federation, including the removal of internal trade barriers, tax and labor code changes and addressing the underground economy in the industry. LL
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