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.

“Is the timing wrong? Maybe,” Webb Estes said. “But when you can figure it out, and you can make it better for your customers, you do it. … We know Canada and Mexico are going to be important partners for America for a long time to come.”

Pitt Ohio’s express lane to Texas, which delivers freight consolidated in Cincinnati, offers efficiency improvements over the typical hub-and-spoke system used by most LTL carriers, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer Geoff Muessig said in a Jan. 20 announcement.

“By consolidating freight at a single terminal and dispatching directly to the destination cities, we reduce handling, thereby minimizing the risk of damages, shortages, or lost freight,” Muessig said. “Our streamlined approach ensures faster transit times, offering superior service levels compared to most national carriers.”

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