Approximately 3000 CN rail workers hit the picket line. Should the strike be prolonged, it will have both positive and negative effects on the trucking industry.
Striking CN workers claim that worker safety and fatigue is central to the reasoning for the strike. CN workers have been putting in long hours – and as it is well known in the trucking industry – long hours without enough rest can lead to human error and compromise safety. It is hoped that CN management and workers will be able to reach an agreement soon, though it seems that it is almost certain to have an impact on the trucking industry.
In certain respects, rail and trucking are in competition with each other, so it stands to reason that if rail is unavailable, more businesses will choose to move their freight via truck. For some in the trucking industry, this will be an advantage. In other respects, however trucking and rail are actually complementary services. This is especially true when it comes to shipping commodities such as grains like corn, wheat and canola.
In these industries, trucking is ideal for short hauls of 200 km or less, while rail offers a huge advantage in terms of the sheer capacity that it can carry. When it comes to grains, trucking and rail frequently work in tandem together with trucks moving grain from farms to distribution centres and trains moving grain cross country.
If trucks were to suddenly become necessary for moving grain long distance, there would have to be a lot more truck traffic on the road.
On average, a car hopper on a train has the capacity to hold about 100 tons of product, meaning that an entire train can carry about 10,000 tons. To employ the number of trucks necessary to transport that much grain would be very impractical and likely impossible – not to mention incredibly expensive.
Where trucks have the advantage is on shorter hauls, carrying less capacity between farms, distribution centres and customers. Trucks also offer considerably more flexibility since they don’t have to follow rail tracks and since they can adjust their schedules more easily.
The rail strike, if it continues for any length of time is liable to have a profound impact on many industries across Canada including grains, petroleum products, and yes also on the trucking industry.
