Steep drop in Manitoba-US trucking due to Trump tariff threats

An unprecedented slowdown in Manitoba-based trucking to the United States has business owners and industry leaders sounding the alarm over the impact of the uncertainty of President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

At the usually busy Emerson crossing, where Highway 75 meets the US border, shipments have decreased dramatically, says local duty-free shop owner Simon Resch. 

His family has operated the Emerson Duty Free for more than 40 years, and he says current conditions are unlike anything he’s witnessed.

“This is eerily reminiscent of the pandemic, except this time, we don’t really see the trucks,” Resch told 680 CJOB. 

“During the pandemic, leisure travel was shut down, but transports were still crossing the border. Now, there’s virtually an elimination of southbound travel.”

Resch says a typical Monday or Tuesday might have once seen hundreds of trucks lined up to haul goods into the US. 

Last week, he counted just a handful making that same journey. 

Resch’s worried about the impact on the local economy, given the importance of the Emerson crossing, which processes around $31 billion in trade each year.

“This is the largest commercial crossing between the Great Lakes and the Pacific,” said Resch.

“Not seeing those trucks is crazy. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Manitoba Trucking Association (MTA) confirms the downturn in trucks headed for the US. 

MTA spokespeople say businesses are reluctant to risk shipments that might be hit by new tariffs, so they’re holding back. 

That decision could have major consequences as more than 28,000 Manitobans work in the trucking sector.

The MTA warns the uncertainty is forcing companies to sideline drivers, reduce schedules, and question investment plans.