On the brink of a rail strike, some companies turn to trucking [Video]

On the possible eve of an unprecedented railway stoppage, some logistics firms are enlisting trucks to ship goods that otherwise would’ve been sent by rail — though there are limits to how much this strategy can help.

Since February, shippers have been eyeing the possibility of a widespread strike and lining up extra trucking capacity, said Stephen Laskowski, president of the Canadian Trucking Alliance.

“[There’s] an adaptation by the shipper industry who typically would move freight by rail and now shifting that to truck,” he said. 

Calgary-based Jori Logistics started making the shift late last week. Company president Sam Woods said the looming strike primarily affects the ocean container side of the business, which is typically taken to and from port by rail. 

“Already we’ve had to move a lot of product that was going to be moved on rail to truck,” said Woods, whose company transports a range of …