OTTAWA, Ont. — Both Canuck and U.S. enforcement regimes allowed truckers the flexibility they needed during the recent horror show that was the Can-Am border.

With truckers facing 12- to 24-hour delays due to tightened security, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) and the American Trucking Associations made a joint appeal to both respective federal governments for an extension of the legal hours of work for truck drivers.

U.S. administrators signed off on the request and, although their Canadian counterparts didn’t make such a formal gesture, the plea was heard and action was taken.

“We were able to be flexible within federal law to allow truckers to get beyond the borders, and the relaxation of rest periods,” says federal transport boss David Collenette. “We did this in concert with all provincial governments, so we could get the goods to and from their destination.”

David Bradley, chief executive officer of the CTA, explains truckers were permitted to log the extensive time spent idling in the huge border lines as off-duty time.

“In Ontario, there was very ‘reasonable enforcement’ shall we say,” he adds.