Freight Shipping Canada, the US and Mexico – Important Notice

Follow here the events that could cause shipping delays as they happen

 On this page, you will find reports of important events that can cause supply chain disruptions in the three countries of the North American Trade Zone: Mexico, the U.S.,  and Canada. We will publish updates every time something relevant happens.

October 08, 2024 

FREIGHT DELAYS DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER: HURRICANE MILTON

• Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida by Wednesday, bringing 5 to 12 inches of rain and localized totals up to 18 inches.
• Potential storm surges of up to 15 feet are expected in Tampa Bay, with dangerous waves along coastal areas.
• Shipping routes through Florida and surrounding regions may experience delays due to evacuation efforts, severe weather conditions, and infrastructure impacts.

Hurricane Milton, now a Category 4 storm, is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast by Wednesday evening. With dangerous winds, heavy rainfall, and significant storm surges, widespread flooding and power outages are anticipated across the region.

On Thursday, Milton will impact Florida with its strongest effects, particularly in the Tampa Bay area. The storm is expected to bring severe flooding and hazardous conditions.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned that this storm is “potentially catastrophic” and   life-threatening flash floods across the Florida Peninsula. This storm follows closely after Hurricane Helene, which recently devastated parts of the southeastern U.S.

As a result, our operations in the affected areas will be disrupted. Pick-up and delivery times may be delayed for shipments passing through or destined for regions in Florida.

Information:

• National Hurricane Center of the U.S.

September 26, 2024 

FREIGHT DELAYS DUE TO HEAVY RAINS: HURRICANE HELENE

Hurricane Helene gains strength, poised to strike Florida tonight with potentially devastating storm surges that could lead to significant coastal flooding, fierce winds capable of causing widespread power outages and structural damage, and torrential rainfall that may result in severe inland flooding and landslides.

• Thursday: Helene is expected to reach its peak intensity as a major Category 3 or stronger hurricane in the eastern Gulf and then make a landfall somewhere along the Big Bend of Florida as a large, intense hurricane Thursday night.​
• Friday: Helene will sweep quickly northward through the Southeast toward the southern Appalachians and Ohio Valley with strong, flooding rain and isolated tornadoes.

Helene is one of the largest storms in the Gulf of Mexico in the last century, with a wind field spanning the distance between Indianapolis and Washington, DC. Its size will cause higher storm surges and dangerous winds far inland, likely resulting in widespread power outages across the Southeast. The storm has already led to school and business closures, as well as flight cancellations. Officials warn that catastrophic wind damage could cause power outages lasting days or even weeks.

President Joe Biden was briefed by Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell on Thursday as Hurricane Helene is intensifying and expected to make landfall this evening.

“This is going to be a multi-state event with potential for significant impacts from Florida all the way to Tennessee,” Criswell warned during an appearance at the White House press briefing.

Biden has approved disaster declarations for Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.

“Please take this threat from storm surge seriously,” Criswell said, encouraging those in the affected area to “move out of harm’s way” and not to “underestimate what the impacts could possibly be.”

Information:

• Hurricane Helene Intensifies Ahead Of Florida Landfall, Packing Major Storm Surge, Flooding, High Winds Inland
• Hurricane Helene strengthening on track to Florida and Southeast

August 22,  2024 

Rail Shutdowns in Canada: Disruptions and Impacts on Supply Chains

Key Highlights:

Worker Lockout: Over 9,000 workers at Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) have been locked out following failed contract negotiations.
Economic Threat: The shutdown threatens billions of dollars in economic losses and could severely disrupt North American supply chains.
Supply Chain Disruptions: Key industries are affected, with significant impacts on goods transport and trade routes.
Commuter Impact: Major commuter rail lines in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal have been halted, affecting tens of thousands of daily passengers.

July 19,  2024 

Microsoft & CrowdStrike Global IT Outage: Significant Disruptions Expected for Ground Freight Shipments in Mexico, the U.S., and Canada

A global incident caused by a failure in the update of a cybersecurity component from CrowdStrike, a Microsoft supplier, has led to serious issues worldwide in airports, gasoline stations, payment systems, healthcare, and other sectors. Flights are delayed or canceled, gasoline stations are unable to process customer payments, and emergency services are experiencing temporary disruptions.

Likewise, this failure may affect ground freight transportation services between Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

CrowdStrike is among the most popular cybersecurity companies, counting more than 20,000 subscription customers around the world.

CrowdStrike stated earlier today:

“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website. …”

30 de junio de 2024 

FREIGHT DELAYS DUE TO HEAVY RAINS

The National Meteorological Service of Mexico reports that tropical storm Alberto “will produce torrential rains in the northeastern areas of the country, as well as heavy rains in the northeast, north, west, center, and east of Mexico”.

We appreciate your understanding as delays in the delivery and pick-ups are expected.  

Information and images  taken from the National Meteorological Service of Mexico site:  https://smn.conagua.gob.mx/es/

February 14, 2024

NATIONAL TRUCKERS’ STRIKE IN MEXICAN HIGHWAYS

We wanted to let you know that this Thursday, February 15th, several highways in Mexico, including those in the state of Tlaxcala and Mexico City, will be affected by a national truckers’ strike called by the Mexican Alliance of Transportation Organizations A.C. (AMOTAC)

The truckers plan to protest against the insecurity they face on the country’s highways. They are demanding that the federal government take measures to guarantee their safety and the safety of their goods.

The strike is scheduled to start at 8:00 am (Mexico City time). However, today already there have been reports of mobilizations by truckers at major border crossings between the United States and Mexico.

It is recommended to anticipate shipments, take into account vehicular traffic, and consider delays generated by this event.

Information:

Toma previsiones: Anuncian cierres carreteros en Tlaxcala para el 15 de febrero

Transportistas convocan nuevo paro este 15 de febrero – MCV Noticias

January 10, 2024

Winter Storms in Western Texas, The Midwest, and Northeast of the U.S.

A few heavy snow storms are currently hitting different regions in the United States affecting all transit times. This is due to the closing of several highways especially in the Midwest area.

Blizzard warnings in Western Texas, the Midwest, and the Northeast of the United States have already come out saying there is snow accumulation of 8 inches and winds up to 75 mph.

Due to these winter storms, we are already experiencing ground transportation disruptions, traffic delays for commercial trucks along regional highways, and dangerous driving conditions.

Information and hour-to-hour updates: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/01/09/us/weather-forecast-storm-snow-rain

October 5, 2023

Weather Warning in Laredo, TX

The National Meteorological Service is forecasting a cold front that could bring rain and thunderstorms in Laredo.

July 26, 2023

Emergency situation in Nuevo León

• There is an emergency situation at the Solidaridad-Colombia International Bridge, Nuevo León, due to attacks on elements of the civil force. The situation took place at a strategic point that connects Mexico with the United States, raising concern about security in the area.
• As well as a blockade of trailers at the Nuevo Laredo III International Bridge and vehicles on fire on the Piedras Negras highway, Nuevo Laredo.

Yesterday morning the Coahuila government reported that armed civilians attacked State Police officers. The elements were in the security filter on the limits of Coahuila and Tamaulipas, on federal highway two. Citizens are advised to take precautions and avoid the area.

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February 23,  2023

WINTER STORM: NORTH AMERICA

A massive winter storm with heavy snow and powerful winds is expected to continue affecting the Northern Plains and Midwest US from Thursday to Saturday.

The extreme cold in the North is just one aspect of the coast-to-coast storm bringing heavy snow, high winds and ice on Wednesday, putting parts of more than two dozen states under winter weather alerts as travel conditions begin to deteriorate in some areas. In the United States, 29 states, from as far west as California to Minnesota through Maine, were under winter weather alerts as of Wednesday morning, including warnings of:

• Three-day storm
• Severe icing
• Extreme cold
• Sleet that are likely to make travel dangerous and knock out power to some

Significant icing is possible for the mid-Atlantic by late Wednesday; a severe weather threat and high winds are possible from Oklahoma to Missouri; and flooding is likely from heavy rain in parts of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Canada is also feeling effects of the winter storm.

Most of Canada is under warnings from Environment Canada as well.

The winter weather will likely cause ground and air transport disruptions over the coming days. Traffic and commercial trucking delays are possible along regional highways. Dangerous and challenging driving conditions are also likely on secondary and rural roads in the affected states as maintenance crews prioritize clearing major routes. Authorities could close stretches of highways if driving conditions become too hazardous. Delays and cancellations are possible due to ground stops and deicing operations.

Source:

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/22/weather/winter-storm-us-wednesday/index.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64733809

January 25,  2023

WINTER STORM AS SNOWFALL WARNINGS

A “major winter storm” is set to impact southern Ontario beginning on Wednesday and continuing into early Thursday.

• Snowfall rates could reach 2 or 3 cm per hour and winds will gust over 60 km/h near the Lake Ontario shore, which will create near-zero visibility with blowing snow.
• For areas in eastern Ontario and into southern Quebec, from Ottawa to Montreal, 30 cm is possible with snowfall lingering through Thursday.

“Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas,” Environment Canada said.

The severe weather is expected to persist as thunderstorms march eastward, taking aim at areas from southeastern Virginia to northern Florida Wednesday. Some of the most intense thunderstorms will trigger damaging winds and could spawn a tornado.

Another round of snow is in the forecast late Friday into Saturday morning, with a more widespread snowfall possible Sunday through Monday. While there’s lower confidence in the forecast this far out, the storm at the end of the weekend isn’t expected to be a major event. This wintry setup will remain locked in place for the final days of January and into early February, with an active setup expected to continue as we march through the heart of winter.

Customers may experience delays in the delivery and collection of their goods. All carriers are advised to extreme caution when traveling by road. We ask our clients to plan their trips in advance.

Source:

https://www.cp24.com/news/gta-and-much-of-southern-ontario-bracing-for-heavy-snow-as-winter-storm-moves-

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64733809

December 27,  2022

U.S. and Canada: historic Arctic winter storm.
Dozens of dead.

• Dozens were killed in the US by the Christmas Day winter storm.
• Almost 60 percent of Americans have been affected by extreme weather conditions. Some are trapped in their homes.
• US President Joe Biden has announced federal disaster relief for New York state after a severe winter storm
• Buffalo expects more snow after blizzard buries city. Some cars have been abandoned in the middle of roads.
• Nearly 1.5 million people are without power across several states in the US and Canada.
• Damaging winds, possible flash-freezes, and blizzard-like conditions will make for difficult driving.
• The weather is about to get worse in many parts of Canada and the US.
• Many flights were canceled at major airports, including Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.
• Hundreds of vehicles in collisions in the US and Canada.
• Freight shipping delays due to extreme weather conditions are expected to continue until the end of February.

Sources:

https://weather.gc.ca/warnings/index_e.html

https://www.weather.gov/

December 21,  2022

MIDWEST WINTER STORM ELLIOT

Winter Storm Elliott is likely to cause the coldest Christmas the U.S. has seen in almost 40 years, according to CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray.

The storm is projected to cycle through the U.S. Wednesday through Saturday, affecting the Great Plains on Wednesday night with heavy snow and winds—the National Weather Service has deemed travel during this time as “hazardous”.

The National Weather Service has already issued warnings, watches and advisories for several cities including St. Louis (from 6 a.m. Thursday); Buffalo, New York (late Thursday night); Detroit (beginning 7 p.m. Thursday); Omaha, Nebraska (2:30 p.m. Wednesday); Chicago (12 p.m. Thursday) and Cleveland (1 a.m. Friday).

As travel may be impossible, stay at home if is possible and safe during this season.

Source:

https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2022/11/07/nicole-huracan-florida-alerta-tormenta-trax/

December 7,  2022

Emergency situation in Nuevo Laredo following gunfire across NUEVO LAREDO.  AUTHORITIES ASK CITIZENS TO STAY AT HOME

• They report 7 deaths from an attack on military personnel on the Mty-Nuevo Laredo highway, in the vicinity of the “Corona” Bridge.
• There are road closures, and classes and public transport are suspended.
• The Secretary of Public Security of the Government of Tamaulipas confirmed risk situations.
• They call on Citizens to Avoid Risk Areas: Authorities ask citizens to stay at home.

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