The Canadian trucking industry cannot meet the domestic needs to keep critical supplies and daily goods flowing if a work stoppage happens at the country\u2019s major railroads, according to the leader of the British Columbia Trucking Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is no possibility trucking can fill the gap of any labour disruption on railways,\u201d Dave Earl, president and CEO of the BCTA, said in an email to Trucking Dive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A labor deal impasse<\/a> between the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference and carriers Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City has led to a potential work stoppage that could start by Thursday. Both railroads also announced freight embargoes<\/a> last week ahead of a possible shut down of their respective networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earl recognizes the dire situation and impact to supply chains<\/a> should Canada\u2019s railroads stop running. More than 900,000 metric tons of goods<\/a> move daily on Canada\u2019s railways, according to the Railway Association of Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the soft freight market plaguing the U.S. trucking industry, Canada\u2019s trucking industry is \u201calready running near capacity,\u201d Earl said, adding that \u201croad transportation cannot come close to replacing the movement of goods that will be displaced from railways in the event of a dispute.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n