Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022:
Protesting Canadian truck operators, and many others besides, shut down at least three ports of entry into the U.S. on Thursday, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada's federal police force, and other government officials. Ambassador Bridge, between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit; Coutts (once again, after partially reopening earlier this week) between Alberta and Montana; and the crossing between Emerson, Manitoba and Pembina, North Dakota have all ground to a halt with protest blockages over Canada and the U.S.'s vaccine mandates for border crossings by essential workers and general pandemic restrictions in Canada. The Ambassador Bridge has been closed for much of the week.
The crossing between Windsor and Detroit is the busiest between the two countries, and Ford, General Motors, and Toyota have all reported delays or work stoppages at plants near the border. The Ambassador Bridge stoppage drew quick condemnation from both sides of the border, and authorities suggested a greater use of force than previously discussed at other border blockades.
“The individuals on-site are trespassing on municipal property and, if need be, will be removed to allow for the safe and efficient movement of goods across the border,” Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said on Thursday. “We can’t just let this lawlessness continue to happen. We respect that everyone has a right to protest. It’s a hallmark of democracy. That is OK. What is not OK is choking off the busiest border crossing between the United States and Canada and affecting tens of thousands of families and their ability to put food on their table."
The Coutts border has been in some state of disorder for well more than a week, and now the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned that U.S. truckers might begin similar blockades as early as the NFL Super Bowl on Feb. 13.
On social media, a group calling itself "The People's Convoy" has promised U.S. convoy demonstrations starting on March 4.
Overdrive has reported on the blockades before, including the delays they cause cross-border haulers not affiliated with the protests.
