Carriers upgrade border shipping amid tariff tumult

An article from

Dive Brief:

• Estes Express Lines and Pitt-Ohio have upgraded services for customers shipping to Canada and Mexico, respectively, despite ongoing uncertainty about tariffs looming next month.
• Estes debuted next-day service last week to Toronto from more than a dozen terminals in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, said President and COO Webb Estes in an interview.
• Pitt Ohio launched an express LTL service lane in late January to six Texas cities on the Mexico border, partnering with Averitt Express to deliver to Laredo, El Paso, McAllen, Brownsville, Eagle Pass and Del Rio.

Dive Insight:

The carriers’ investments come as cross-border trucking has been thrust into chaos by tariff whiplash. The Trump administration paused tariffs on goods qualifying for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, but carriers and shippers alike are waiting to see what happens when the pause ends on April 2.

Estes’ next-day shipping service to Toronto stems from its acquisition of several former Yellow Corp. terminals along the Canada border. For the largest privately owned trucking company in North America, the service expansion is a long-term bet on trade with the U.S.’s northern partner.

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