Corridor brief,
Midwest diesel jumps 9 cents to $6.35 as Windsor Assembly sits idle this week
Midwest diesel rose 9.3 cents to $6.352 a gallon for the week of Oct. 19, ending a three-week slide. Windsor Assembly is idle this week, and Trump dropped his threat to ban Bombardier from the U.S.
At the border
We could not confirm Wednesday-morning commercial wait figures in time for this brief. Before dispatching, check the live wait times for the Ambassador, Gordie Howe and Blue Water bridges, which refresh every few minutes from CBP and CBSA.
Analysis: Windsor-bound parts traffic should be lighter than usual this week because Windsor Assembly is not building vehicles (see below). That may ease Canada-bound truck queues at the Detroit River crossings, but compare live waits on both bridges before routing.
Diesel
The Midwest diesel average rose to $6.352 a gallon for the week of Oct. 19, up 9.3 cents from $6.259 the week of Oct. 12, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The U.S. average climbed to $6.276, up 9.7 cents. That ends three straight weekly declines from the $6.680 Midwest peak the week of Sept. 21.
Analysis: fuel surcharges pegged to the weekly DOE average will tick up for loads billed this week. We have not confirmed this week's Ontario figure, so check the diesel page for the Windsor comparison before deciding which side of the river to fuel on.
What we're watching
- Windsor Assembly idle through early November. Unifor said on Oct. 2 that production is cancelled for the weeks of Oct. 19, Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 while contract talks continue, leaving more than 6,400 workers off the job, CTV News reported. Analysis: expect fewer just-in-time parts loads into Windsor until mid-November, and a possible surge when the line restarts.
- Trump backs off Bombardier. Speaking in Kansas on Monday, President Trump dropped his September threat to ban the Canadian jet maker from the U.S. market, citing its roughly 1,500 workers in Wichita, BNN Bloomberg reported. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc responded Tuesday on CTV. Analysis: a sign that U.S. jobs tied to a Canadian company can soften a threat. Parts suppliers with plants on both sides of the river will watch for the same logic on autos.
- Tariffs unchanged. U.S. tariffs on about US$20 billion of Canadian goods have been in place since August, and Canada's counter-tariffs since early September, according to the same BNN Bloomberg report. We found no sign this week that talks have restarted. Analysis: with U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3, shippers should plan for current duties to hold at least into November.
Sources
Diesel: U.S. Energy Information Administration, weekly on-highway diesel prices for Oct. 5, 12 and 19, 2026; Sept. 21 figure via Transport Topics. Windsor Assembly: CTV News Windsor. Bombardier and tariffs: BNN Bloomberg and CTV News.