US Freight Forwarder Diverting Cargo Away from Canadian Ports

August 19, 2024

© Bumble Dee / Adobe Stock
© Bumble Dee / Adobe Stock

US freight forwarder C.H. Robinson said on Monday it was diverting some of its U.S. customers' ocean cargo away from Canadian ports as the threat of a rail strike looms.

It said roughly 80% of its customers who had switched are now exporting through Los Angeles/Long Beach ports and the rest through Seattle/Tacoma ports.

Canadian railroads, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, are bracing for a possible work stoppage by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Union.

"Now that a strike notice has been declared, some of our Canadian export customers are starting to ship time-sensitive goods to the ports by truck to avoid containers being stuck at rail terminals during a strike," C.H. Robinson's Canada VP Scott Shannon said in a statement to Reuters.

C.H. Robinson is lining up extra trucking capacity on both sides of the border, as volumes are expected to shift to highways following the disruption.
A strike, which could come as early as August 22, brings a level of uncertainty for shippers in both U.S. and Canada, forcing them to think about over-the-road options.


(Reuters - Reporting by Abhinav Parmar in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Sriraj Kalluvila)

Logistics News

DP World Begins $165 Million Expansion of Maputo Container Terminal Capacity

DP World Begins $165 Million Expansion of Maputo Container Terminal Capacity

Port Canaveral Invests $500 Million in Five-Year Port-Wide Improvement Plan

Port Canaveral Invests $500 Million in Five-Year Port-Wide Improvement Plan

Syria Signs New 30-Year Deal with CMA CGM

Syria Signs New 30-Year Deal with CMA CGM

Adani Ports Sees Higher FY26 Revenue Growth on Robust Volumes

Adani Ports Sees Higher FY26 Revenue Growth on Robust Volumes

Subscribe for Maritime Logistics Professional E‑News

Cargill and LDC among the winners of Brazil's port auction
China's Zhejiang Jiaao receives export license for sustainable aviation fuel
Russian ESPO Blend oil shipping rates are at their lowest level since January, traders report