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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Ferry Problems in Nova Scotia

Businesses in the trucking industry are growing increasingly frustrated over the ferry situation in Nova Scotia. Drive 725 miles around the Bay of Fundy or take a Ferry across from Yarmouth to Portland, Maine. Drive and waste a whole day of Hours of Service, possibly having to stop for an ten hour rest period or a couple of hours on a boat. The choices are obvious or are they.

According to the Truro Daily News, trucking companies in the area are anxiously waiting to here if the Yarmouth-Portland ferry will be able to accommodate them. So far, the Liberal government hasn’t announced exactly what type of boat or vessel will be used for the Nova Scotia-to-Maine run and if it can accommodate tractor-trailers who rely on the service.

In late October, the province said it had chosen Bay Ferries as the candidate to operate the route and government said the company had 45 days to choose a ship. The deadline came and went without a ship being named.

According to Brian Reynolds, whose business, B Reynolds Trucking, hauls fresh seafood, if the vessel that is chosen cannot accommodate him, it will increase his business costs tremendously. Instead of putting his trucks on the ferry, he will have to assign drivers to haul the fish by road.

Reynolds says with the time-sensitive product he hauls, he would have to assign each truck two drivers to make the delivery on time.

Earlier this month, the Atlantic trucking industry voiced its concern about the new ferry, Fundy Rose which replaced the larger Princess of Acadia over the summer. Fundy Rose had nine fewer spaces for trucks, causing delays and added expenses for trucking companies that relied on the vessel.