Trucker protests start to hurt auto plants nationwide

Last edited Thu Feb 10, 2022, 09:02 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: NBC News

Trucker protests start to hurt auto plants nationwide

Border delays from the truck blockade hurt plants as far as Kentucky

Feb. 10, 2022, 4:13 PM EST / Updated Feb. 10, 2022, 7:43 PM EST
By Paul A. Eisenstein

Like falling dominoes, automakers across North America are adding to the list of plants affected by the truck blockade that has all but halted traffic across two of the busiest routes linking the U.S. and Canada.

After temporarily halting production at three of its factories in Ontario, Toyota announced Thursday that a shortage of Canadian-made parts had hit an assembly plant in Kentucky. Ford and General Motors have felt the impact at some of their operations. And though the automaker Stellantis has resumed operations at an assembly plant in Windsor, Mike Koval, the CEO of its Ram brand, said in an interview that “the situation is fluid” and could lead to new production cuts.

“It is a mess,” said Carla Bailo, the CEO of the Center for Automotive Research, or CAR, a nonprofit research group. “What we’re seeing is that the plants in Canada are really getting strangled first. Then the plants in the U.S. relying on engines and transmissions will be hurt next.”

Ongoing problems

Claiming to be mobilized by frustration with Canadian mask and vaccine mandates, thousands of truckers descended on the capital, Ottawa, last month and staged a protest that has all but paralyzed the city. Early this week, they expanded their demonstrations, first moving to blockade the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit.

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Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/trucker-protests-start-hurt-auto-plants-nationwide-rcna15717