Rail Strike No Goldmine For Truckers: Yako

VANCOUVER — Has the CP Rail strike delivered extra business to the trucks of the world as train-freight gets transferred to the roads?

Not yet. And neither is it likely to happen, says Louise Yako, the President and CEO of the British Columbia Trucking Association (BCTA).

“There’s been some diversion taking place but it hasn’t been very extensive, not as much as someone might expect. If freight is really time sensitive, it already goes by truck,” she told todaystrucking.com.

What’s more, Yako said that most industry insiders she has spoken to expect the Federal Government to intervene so the strike comes to an early end.

“There’s a great deal of concern that this would harm the reputation of Canada’s supply chain so there are a lot of people working behind the scenes to mend the situation.”

Yako, who says B.C. truckers are accustomed to dealing with rail disruptions, also pointed to the ironic notion that it was a general national rail strike in the 1950s that sparked considerable growth for B.C.’s truckers.

“It was a rail strike that gave us inroads in the first place,” she commented.