Port Carriers Confirm Surcharge Pause in Writing, Meeting November 1 Deadline

MONTREAL — The two freight carriers that had extended congestion surcharges to outbound agricultural cargo confirmed in writing on Friday that the extension is suspended through the holiday quarter, meeting the Port of Montreal Authority's November 1 condition and averting a threatened disruption to peak-season exports.

The written confirmation, delivered to the authority's office in Montreal on Friday morning, formalizes an arrangement announced last week: the carriers will suspend the surcharge through the end of December, the authority will grant temporary berth-priority arrangements to affected agricultural shippers, and the port will begin publishing weekly dwell-time data. The carriers reiterated that the suspension is reversible if average dwell times stay above four days.

The Vermont dairy cooperative, which is in the first year of a pilot program shipping directly to EU buyers, said the confirmed pause preserves its first-year margins. "The written confirmation gives us the certainty we needed to honor our holiday commitments," a cooperative spokesperson said. "We can now plan shipments without the surcharge eroding the thin margins of our EU pilot."

The agreement comes against the backdrop of the still-unresolved Quebec rail levy review, which has delayed decisions past December and softened holiday bookings. The rail levy, a proposed fee on rail freight through Quebec, has been under review for months, creating uncertainty for shippers who rely on rail to reach the Port of Montreal.

"This is a commercial accommodation, not a policy settlement," a Port of Montreal Authority spokesperson said. "The carriers have agreed to a temporary pause, and we will continue to monitor dwell times and work with all parties to ensure the port remains competitive."

The arrangement does not address the underlying congestion issues at the port, nor does it resolve the rail levy review. But for the Vermont dairy cooperative and other agricultural exporters, the written confirmation provides a measure of stability as they navigate the holiday quarter.