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U.S-Canadian cabotage war 'a different kettle of fish': CTA chief

OTTAWA -- If the American authorities are indeed going to start delaying Canadian truckers as part of an upgraded war on cabotage, they better expect reciprocation on this side of the 49th parallel, the head of the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has vowed.

In a statement released today, CTA CEO David Bradley promises to keep a "close watch" as the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA) encourages state troopers, police forces and other law enforcement agencies to up their anti-cabotage efforts, especially if it means that Americans will be pulling Canadian drivers over for spot checks.

Up to this point, according to Bradley, anti-cabotage checks were mostly limited to inspections at border crossings. (Cabotage, incidentally, is the practice of picking up and delivering freight within a country's borders. American carriers cannot pick up in Quebec and deliver in, say Saskatchewan, and neither are Canadians allowed to do point-to-point freight deliveries within the states.)

There has been no reported cabotage outbreak, but John H. Hill, FMCSA administrator, was recently quoted as saying "this is not just training people about Mexican cabotage. This is training all enforcement officers about issues involving both northern and southern borders."


And the view of Canadian truckers is that enforcement of the rules has always been much stronger in the U.S. than Canada. So, any mention of even tougher enforcement of the rules in the States has the Canadian trucking industry worried that Canadian trucking companies may be placed at a competitive disadvantage in doing business across the border.

Bradley says the CTA questions the need for a nationwide policy away from the border, adding "we wonder whether Canadian carriers and drivers will be sideswiped as a result of concern in some quarters in the US over the possible opening of the southern border."

Bradley points to the increasing costs and complexities encountered by Canadian carriers doing business in the US in the post-9/11 era as a source of real concern and one that the Alliance is constantly attempting to mitigate with government officials on both sides of the border.

"While our industry has been struggling to cope with the attendant cost pressures, we accept the security imperative … This, however, is a different kettle of fish.

"Now, a truck could be detained and delayed at roadside as a local state trooper or local constable who has read a pamphlet tries to determine whether a truck and its driver are in compliance with the arcane, antiquated and complex rules governing cabotage."

The Alliance will be monitoring the U.S. enforcement situation closely in the coming weeks to see whether there is a need to call on governments and on-road enforcement agencies in Canada to follow the U.S. example.

"Canadian carriers simply will not accept a competitive playing field that is out of kilter. If need be, we will urge government to take action to ensure there is an appropriate level of cabotage enforcement in this country," says Bradley.





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