A 30-day pause held off U.S. tariffs, but truckers warned of the damage they could do

In February 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 30-day pause on tariffs against Canada that had been set to take effect on Feb. 4. He had signed an order on Feb. 1 imposing a 25% tariff on Canadian imports, with a lower 10% rate on Canadian energy. The pause pushed the tariffs back to early March, and Canada and the provinces halted their planned retaliation in turn.

What trucking said

The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) reacted to the original order by urging Ottawa, the premiers and Washington to end the trade fight. The alliance pointed out that most Canada-U.S. trade moves by truck, and that Canadian carriers moved more than $350 billion worth of imports into the U.S. in 2024, even in a deep freight recession.

• CTA president Stephen Laskowski called the tariffs out of proportion to the problem and told The Canadian Press they could be the final nail in the coffin for many fleets if they lasted.
• CTA chair Greg Arndt said carriers were already shrinking fleets and workforces as costs rose and revenue quality fell.
• The CTA asked the prime minister to end the prorogation of Parliament, and asked the premiers to remove internal trade barriers.

Mike Millian, president of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, welcomed the 30-day reprieve as a positive first step but said the industry was not out of the woods. He also backed calls to lower interprovincial trade barriers.

Pressure on rates

Joseph Khoueiry, whose company Fabreville Inc. runs five tractor-trailers between Toronto and Montreal, told The Canadian Press that a drop in cross-border trade would push more carriers into the domestic market and drive down rates. He also expected parts for his trucks to cost more, with the loonie trading around 68 cents U.S., its lowest level since 2003.