Border brief,
Ambassador 20 minutes, Gordie Howe 5 for Canada-bound trucks; tariff talks continue
CBSA showed Canada-bound trucks waiting 20 minutes at Ambassador and 5 at Gordie Howe late Nov. 5. Ottawa plans more U.S. trade calls, with no deal terms public. Midwest diesel was $6.402 on Nov. 2; Toronto diesel looks slightly cheaper today.
At the border
We could not reach our live feed or a U.S.-bound reading this morning. The figures below are CBSA's latest Canada-bound commercial readings, from Thursday night, Nov. 5. Check live wait times before dispatching.
- Ambassador: 20 minutes at 10:18 p.m.
- Gordie Howe: 5 minutes at 10:29 p.m.
- Blue Water: no delay, but stamped 03:15 on Nov. 5. Treat that one as stale.
Analysis: a 15-minute gap on one late-night reading is not a trend. Still, compare both before routing a Canada-bound load from Detroit today.
Elsewhere, Canada-bound: Peace Bridge 2 minutes and Lewiston–Queenston no delay at 10:20 p.m., and the Soo no delay at 9:15 p.m. We found no closure reports.
On trade, nothing we found changes today's paperwork. Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's minister for U.S. trade, said Wednesday he expects to speak with Howard Lutnick and Jamieson Greer within days. Finalized terms have not been announced. Carleton's Fen Hampson cautioned, "we should not expect tariffs to disappear," even with Democrats winning Congress. Bloomberg notes Trump can still use executive orders and could veto a repeal bill.
Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed said Thursday he would work with Trump on "stopping these stupid tariffs with Canada." The 25% tariff on Canadian autos, with an exemption for CUSMA-compliant content, remains the rate to price on. Trump's threatened 50% on Canadian vehicles and parts is set for Jan. 1, 2027.
Diesel
EIA's Nov. 2 survey has the Midwest at $6.402 a gallon and the U.S. average at $6.292, down 6 cents from Oct. 26. New numbers are due Monday.
We could not load Ontario's survey or a Windsor price. Canadians for Affordable Energy and CP24 both forecast Toronto diesel at 234.9¢ a litre today.
Analysis, at the Bank of Canada's Nov. 5 average of 1.3989: that is about US$6.36 a gallon, or about 5 cents below the Midwest figure. The two prices are four days apart and Toronto is not Windsor, so treat this as direction only. It does not make a strong case to change fueling plans. See the diesel page.
What we're watching
- Flying Trucks. CBP's end date for using air manifests on express cargo that arrives by truck is Nov. 24, 18 days away. CBP warns that non-compliance could bring delays or penalties.
- Windsor Assembly. Production is cancelled for the week of Nov. 9, the fourth straight week. We found no word yet on the week of Nov. 16.
- Unifor and Stellantis. As of late October, bargaining had not resumed and neither side had asked for a no-board report. We found nothing newer. Ontario requires that notice at least 17 days before a strike. Analysis: carriers serving Windsor should get some warning before any walkout.
Sources
Waits: CBSA. Trade: Bloomberg via Transport Topics; CBT News; CTV via BNN Bloomberg. Diesel: EIA data via OilPriceAPI; Canadians for Affordable Energy; CP24; Hashtag Investing, citing the Bank of Canada rate. Other: CBP CSMS 69657207; AM800, plant; AM800, talks; WardsAuto.