Today’s Pickup: More freight, more problems on North America’s busiest highway

Canadian freight volumes have resumed their push higher after pausing for a break for Canada’s Victoria Day and the U.S.’s  Memorial Day holidays, according to FreightWaves SONAR platform. 

The SONAR Outbound Tender Volume Index for Toronto (OTVI.YYZ), which tracks loads leaving a market, had recovered about 58% from its April lows as of Tuesday. 

The recovery Canada-wide is similar. The Outbound Tender Volume Index for Canada (OTVI-CAN) has also increased 59% from its April lows – outperforming its U.S. cousin

Quotable:

“You can’t drive into a riot situation because you are going to lose.”

– Ronnie Sellers, former truck driver and a retired police officer, discussing how truckers can handle the civil unrest in U.S. cities in a report from FreightWaves’ Clarissa Hawes. 

Did you know?

The maritime industry contributed $373 billion to the U.S. economy in 2018. Its growth also outpaced the national GDP, according to new U.S. Department of Commerce data.

In other news:

Trucker arrested after tractor-trailer drives through Maine protest

A truck driver was arrested after police say he drove a tractor-trailer through a group of protesters in Portland, Maine. (Bangor Daily News)

CP completes Central Maine & Quebec Railway US acquisition 

The previously announced deal adds 244.2 miles route-miles in Maine and Vermont to Canadian Pacific’s network. (Newswire)

Can India lure Apple away from China?

The Indian government unveiled a new, inventive scheme for electronics manufacturers after Apple indicated its interest in shifting production from China. (JDSupra)

Energy consortium successfully pilots blockchain 

The Oil and Gas Blockchain Consortium completed a pilot project to automate water management at a facility in North Dakota. (Ledger Insights) 

Final thoughts:

The Canadian and Ontario governments recently announced that they were moving ahead on a project to add four lanes to a stretch of Highway 401 near Toronto. Once completed, the project should make life easier for truck drivers – once they’ve endured the construction.

Hammer down, everyone!