Truckers react to U.S. daylight savings plan

TORONTO, (Aug. 5, 2005) — Ontario truckers are urging Canadian government officials to dovetail a U.S. proposal that would extend daylight savings time.

The plan — which would extend daylight savings in the U.S. by forwarding clocks one hour on the first weekend of March and rolling back an hour on the last weekend of November — was adopted by Congress and is close to becoming law. Currently daylight saving begins the first Sunday in April and ends on the last Sunday in October.

Ontario Trucking Association President David Bradley has told Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and the Office of the Prime Minster that “the prevailing view of the trucking industry is that it would be better to be ‘in synch’ with our largest trading partner and customer than to not be … I have been hearing from motor carriers from across Canada expressing concerns about what would happen if the proposal were to become law.”

Bradley is concerned over potential scheduling problems and the general confusion that would ensue if the U.S. were to extend daylight savings time and Ontario, Canada were to maintain the status quo. Each November and April, U.S. clocks would be one hour ahead of Ontario’s, meaning pick up and delivery schedules for cross-border trips would have to be re-calibrated to account for the time difference. One month later, it would be necessary to revert back to harmonized time clocks.

“This scenario is bound to lead to confusion and misunderstandings,” he said. “With tight scheduling windows at shipping and receiving docks there is little tolerance for error, and accessorial charges can be imposed for missing these windows.”

Bradley said it would be a further complication for carriers and drivers, who are already coping with a myriad of new trade and security measures along the Canada-U.S. border, such as customs pre-notification. Shorter distance transborder shipments where time windows are much shorter — say from Windsor to Detroit — may be particularly impacted.

As TodayTrucking.com reported last week, several business groups, such as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, have already expressed their concerns in the event Canada does not mirror the plan.

Bob Ballantyne, president of the Canadian Industrial Transportation Association, a national shipper group, told TodaysTrucking.com that a time change would likely throw just-in-time freight off balance — especially for the Southern Ontario auto sector where parts are designed to be delivered at plants exactly as they’re needed.