A major border delay at the Ambassador Bridge Tuesday was the cause of many headaches, as well as lost revenue for trucking companies.
Frank Hansaruk is the general manager of JBJ Trucking in Windsor, overseeing 42 trucks. He says these unusually long delays become very costly. "A truck can generate anywhere from $50-$75/hr in revenue and you're stuck at the bridge for an additional two hours," says Hansaruk. "You're losing about $150 per vehicle. Multiply that by 30 vehicles and the numbers get big real quick."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection says a computer issue caused the delay that lasted most of Tuesday. Hansaruk says he was told the system that handled each truck's manifest and driver information was down.
Another local trucking company, Morrice Transportation, says some of its drivers report being delayed over four hours. Business Development Manager Steven Kozma says if this becomes a trend, the company will have to raise its rates. "When something like this takes place we basically lose all of our profits in one run."