As trains across the country come to a grinding halt due to a labour dispute, those in the trucking industry are preparing to pick up the slack. However, it’s going to be hard to keep up with the volume, they say.
For the first time in the country’s history, Canada’s two freight rail lines are expected to cease operations and strike at the same time, putting unprecedented pressure on the trucking industry.
A phased shutdown of the networks at Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. is already underway as the clock ticks down on negotiations with the union representing 9,300 engineers, conductors and yard workers. Both companies have issued lockout notices while the union has also threatened to strike.
If the work stoppage goes ahead, shipping companies would be forced to turn to Canada’s big rigs to hit the road with more loads than they can possibly handle.
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