Border brief,
Democrats take Congress, but no tariff relief yet; early Thursday truck waits light
Democrats won both chambers on Nov. 3, but no Canada tariff relief has been announced. Truck waits were light before dawn Nov. 5 where we could check. Midwest diesel was $6.402 a gallon in EIA's latest survey; Ontario forecasts conflict.
At the border
Our live feed was unreachable, so these readings come from a third-party tracker and CBSA. Check live wait times before dispatching.
Early Thursday, Nov. 5:
- Ambassador, U.S.-bound (4:55 a.m.): no commercial delay; FAST lanes shown closed.
- Ambassador, Canada-bound (4:15 a.m.): no commercial delay.
- Gordie Howe and Blue Water: we could not get a reading from this morning.
The latest Canada-bound commercial readings for those two are CBSA's from Wednesday afternoon: Gordie Howe 10 minutes at 3:59 p.m. and Blue Water no delay at 3:15 p.m. Ambassador showed 30 minutes at 3:47 p.m. Analysis: pre-dawn zeros say little about busy hours.
Elsewhere, Peace Bridge had no commercial delay either way early today (5:07 a.m. U.S.-bound, 3:15 a.m. Canada-bound). On Wednesday afternoon, Lewiston–Queenston showed 2 minutes and the Soo no delay, both Canada-bound. We found no closure reports.
On trade, Democrats won control of the House and Senate on Nov. 3, but nothing we found changes today's paperwork. The Canadian Press reported Nov. 4 that relief is not assured, since Trump keeps the executive powers behind his tariffs, according to political scientist Donald Wright. Trump said Tuesday a deal with Canada was imminent; Carney said the sides have made progress. No terms are public.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens told CTV that Trump's threatened 50% tariff on Canadian-made vehicles and parts, set for Jan. 1, 2027, would be "a catastrophic impact on our local economy." Analysis: keep pricing loads on the duties now in force.
Diesel
EIA data released Nov. 3 has the Midwest at $6.402 a gallon, down 8 cents, and the U.S. average at $6.292, down 6 cents, per FleetOwner.
We could not load Ontario's official survey or a Windsor forecast. Dan McTeague's Toronto forecasts do not line up. His group's page shows 242.9¢ a litre today, while CP24 quotes him saying diesel falls 14 cents Friday to 234.9¢.
Analysis, rough math at USD/CAD 1.3960 (Nov. 4 open): about US$6.59 a gallon today and US$6.37 Friday. Against the Midwest figure, that is about 18 cents dearer today and about 3 cents cheaper Friday. Toronto is not Windsor, so treat this as direction only. Fueling in Michigan looks safer today. See the diesel page.
What we're watching
- Flying Trucks. CBP's process allowing air manifests for truck-borne express cargo ends Nov. 24. Analysis: shippers using express carriers should confirm truck manifest filing now.
- Windsor Assembly. Production is cancelled through the week of Nov. 9, the fourth straight week. Stellantis says the latest week is not tied to contract talks.
- Unifor and Stellantis. As of Oct. 29, talks were paused despite a 97.3% strike vote, and neither side had filed for a no-board report. We found nothing newer.
Sources
Waits: EZBorderCrossing, Ambassador; EZBorderCrossing, Peace Bridge; CBSA. Trade: Canadian Press via BNN Bloomberg; CTV via Head Topics. Diesel: FleetOwner; Canadians for Affordable Energy; CP24; Knightsbridge FX. Other: Allied CHB; CTV News; Windsor News Today.