OTTAWA, Ont. — The Canadian Trucking Alliance and the American Trucking Associations have agreed to work together in a push to allow for greater flexibility in the movement of empty trailers by foreign truck drivers.

Immigration laws in both Canada and the US do not currently allow for foreign drivers to reposition empty trailers if they have been disconnected from the power unit that brought them across the border. Indeed immigration restrictions in both Canada and the US hamper the ability of carriers to spot trailers, which for many of their customers is part of an inventory management system.

“By liberalization we mean, if a Canadian driver delivers a loaded trailer in the U.S., he or she should be able to pick up an empty trailer and reposition it to another location. The same would go for a US driver in Canada,” said Margaret Irwin, Director of Customs, Immigration and Cross-Border Operations with the American Trucking Associations.

“CTA is looking forward to working with the ATA to advance a common position on the movement of empty trailers by foreign drivers,” said Ron Lennox, CTA Vice President of Trade and Security. “Both countries need to move in harmony on this issue, so the result will be fair for both.”

“ATA’s policy supports liberalizing certain cabotage rules as long as Canada reciprocates,” said Irwin. “It’s a question of how to most efficiently operate equipment and drivers.”

If CTA and ATA are successful in bringing about this limited liberalization of immigration rules, it will bring an additional measure of flexibility that will result in productivity gains for carriers on both sides of the border.