CTA Voices Border Concerns at Economic Summit

(Canadian Trucking Alliance)

The Canadian Trucking Alliance is concerned that border problems are being masked by the economic downturn and congestion of the past will return unless changes are made. David Bradley, CEO of the CTA, took that message with him when he traveled to the Annual Summit of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) in Boise, Idaho.

PNWER is a public-private organization comprising five U.S. states (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington), three provinces (Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan) as well as the Yukon. Together the regions represent the 11th largest economy in the world. This year’s PNWER summit was held in Boise, ID.

Bradley told the gathering of legislators and business people from the northwest region of the continent that problems at the border are currently being masked by lower volumes of trade reflecting the ongoing recession and therefore fewer cross-border truck trips.

He warned that a return to more normal traffic levels could mean a return to longer delays and less predictability at the busiest border crossings and that “anything that impairs the efficiency, productivity and reliability of the North American supply chain impacts negatively on the region’s ability to compete, to attract direct investment and to take full advantage of economic recovery when it comes.” Read more here.