With the surge in container volume for both inbound and outbound, CN and CP are facing severe congestion issues across Canada, with an upward wait time of between 2-8 hours on average to pick up loaded containers or drop empties depending on the arrival terminal. Although they are normally capable of handling this volume, the situation is being exacerbated by a shortage of dray carriers, which are not able to evacuate containers out of the terminals in an efficient manner. In view of this, many trucking companies are implementing additional charges to compensate for the waiting time at the rail. The surge in volume also affects the truckers’ ability to pre-pull containers, which can result in detention and demurrage charges being incurred if the trucker is unable to perform pre-pull.
For more information, please call Debbie McGuire, Director – Freight Solutions at (905) 882-4880, ext. 1308.
