Gambling with NAFTA trade

Trucking hauls $89 billion of NAFTA trade each year, which could be in jeopardy if there are continued trade disputes between the U.S. and its neighbors. 

Trucking could be big loser in Trump’s lumber tiff, NAFTA reset

President Donald Trump’s decision to place softwood lumber tariffs on Canada this week might be an indication that the administration is set for a reset on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It is a gamble that potentially puts billions of dollars in NAFTA trade shipments at risk – much of it hauled by trucks.

In what one Bloomberg analyst called a shot at NAFTA, Trump slapped Canada with tariffs ranging between 3% and 24% in a countervailing duty announcement on Monday. While much of the attention on the U.S.’ trade imbalance has been focused on Mexico, it is Canada that has taken the first shot, and that has increased concern over a broader NAFTA battle.


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Brian Straight

Brian Straight leads FreightWaves' Modern Shipper brand as Managing Editor. A journalism graduate of the University of Rhode Island, he has covered everything from a presidential election, to professional sports and Little League baseball, and for more than 10 years has covered trucking and logistics. Before joining FreightWaves, he was previously responsible for the editorial quality and production of Fleet Owner magazine and fleetowner.com. Brian lives in Connecticut with his wife and two kids and spends his time coaching his son’s baseball team, golfing with his daughter, and pursuing his never-ending quest to become a professional bowler. You can reach him at bstraight@freightwaves.com.