Local trucking companies and their drivers are experiencing a tough time as a result of protesters blocking Canadian-American borders.

Rod Miron is chief operating officer of Big Freight Systems and he says there’s a financial impact when trucks are forced to sit at blocked border crossings.

“There’s a financial impact on the driver,” he says. “In a couple of instances, I know for a fact the drivers have had to, once they got out of there, because they didn’t earn any revenue that week, or very little, they’ve had to spend an extra week on the road away from their families. And then, of course, customers are getting their freight later.”

ound 95% of drivers at Big Freight are vaccinated and continue to haul various supplies between the two countries. And the “vast majority” of their drivers have made comments that indicate they do no support these blockades.

uld be focused on,” says Miron. “And unfortunately, this is definitely taking the light off those as well as, I think, depending on the individual's perception, shedding a bad light on some of the industry.”

arder it’s going to be because everything just snowballs.”

jobs and put food on the table, to get by. To do this, to completely block...I can understand to slow down, you know, I can understand that. But to completely block it...it makes things very difficult for everyone.”

-with files from The Canadian Press, published February 11, 2022.