ManitobaTariffs and a sluggish economy have turned what was a driver shortage into a job shortage in the province’s billion-dollar trucking industry, according to the Manitoba Trucking Association.U.S. and Chinese tariffs, sluggish economy stalling exports, trucking association saysChristopher Gareau · CBC News · Posted: Dec 10, 2025 6:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.A United Transportation Driver Training truck in Blumenort, Man. Tariffs imposed by the U.S. and China have directly hit the province’s farmers and those who deliver what they grow, the Manitoba Trucking Association says. (Christopher Gareau/CBC)A decade-long driver shortage has turned into a job shortage this year in Manitoba’s $1.2-billion trucking industry, according to the Manitoba Trucking Association.The United States and China are Manitoba’s two largest agri-food export destinations, but both have placed tariffs on Canada in the past year. That’s directly hit the province’s farmers and those who deliver what they grow, the trucking association says.”Most companies, I would say, are losing money on their operations right now, or making very marginal profits unless they’re in some sort of niche segment somewhere within the sector,” said executive director Aaron Dolyniuk.Ideally, one truck should be standing by, ready to take more orders, for every truck on the road, said Dolyniuk.But this fall, the transportation logistics company Loadlink Technologies said it was closer to three empty trucks for every one making a delivery in Canada.That means instead of the driver recruitment that intensified as companies restocked inventory following the COVID-19 restrictions, Manitoba’s hundreds of trucking companies are sending fewer people for training to drive their 15,000 trucks.Bill Rempel is the CEO of Steve’s Livestock Transport. The Blumenort-based company also owns United Transportation Driver Training, which trains drivers for other trucking companies.A Steve’s Livestock Transport truck leaves the yard as other trailers sit empty. (Christopher Gareau/CBC)Rempel said he has not needed to lay off any of his 470 employees, but is training fewer new drivers after years of shortages due to truckers retiring and increased demand.Long-term planning is difficult, he said, and there are major fluctuations from rush buying, followed by long lulls due to customers facing tariff uncertainty.Manitoba in particular is affected by U.S. trade uncertainty, with nearly 72 per cent of all exports normally headed there, according to the province. Those exports dropped 6.2 per cent in the first half of 2025, the province says.”In North America particularly, we’re so integrated, and for so many years we more or less saw ourselves as family, as close partners,” said Rempel.”When that’s disrupted, like it has been the last two years, it just creates that uncertainty.”United Transportation Driver Training is training fewer drivers these days, according to the CEO of the company that owns the training business. (Christopher Gareau/CBC)Steve’s Livestock Transport opened a transport business in Illinois this year to avoid some of the cross-border headaches.The U.S. put a 35 per cent tariff on all imports from Canada that are not compliant with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) earlier this year, along with a 50 per cent tariff on all aluminum, steel and copper and an additional tariff on softwood lumber.”We ultimately want to get back — and hopefully we can get back — to a trading partner that has a little bit more stability and … planning that is a little bit further out than what we see today,” said Rempel.Chinese tariffsManitoba exports to China dropped 32 per cent in the first half of 2025, according to the province. China placed tariffs on canola, pork and seafood this year in what was seen as a response to last October’s 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles by Canada and the U.S.Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said in a letter to Mark Carney on Oct. 11 that while he believes protecting Canada’s vehicle industry is important, the country’s approach “has created a two-front trade war that disproportionally affects Western Canada.”Kinew said in a social media post that canola and pork tariffs were discussed with China’s ambassador to Canada when he visited Manitoba last month.Agri-food makes up 45 per cent of all Manitoba international exports, totalling $9.4 billion worth last year. The U.S. and China imported 62 per cent of that.In September, the federal government announced $370 million in new support for Canadian canola producers facing tariffs from China, which Rempel said is good in the short term, but does not help provide the certainty businesses require to invest money into the economy.His company’s long-term vision has helped it grow from Steve Brandt’s single truck and trailer in 1987, he said.”But as far as some of the specific capital investments — the money that we’re going to put in … we’re working with a shorter window than we were a few years ago,” said Rempel.”There’s too much uncertainty before we’re going to make large investments.”ABOUT THE AUTHORChristopher Gareau is a CBC Manitoba reporter based in Steinbach who covers the province’s southeastern region. He has previously covered southeastern Manitoba in print, and worked in radio and print in northwestern B.C. and southwestern Ontario. You can reach him at christopher.gareau@cbc.ca.
Tariffs putting brakes on Manitoba trucking hires
