Waiting in line. Jerry Carton knows far too well what it's like to be held up at the border crossing in Highgate. It's happened many times. "It's frustrating," said Carton.

Backups at border crossings across our region have some motorists fuming mad, as they sit and wait. Some say the delay has been as long as two hours. Really though, it's hit or miss. One day the wait seems to take forever, the next day as little as five minutes.

"Anything they can do to make it easier. Even though you're going to another country it feels like you're going to another county," said Russell Frank of Montpelier.

At one point, Canadian Authorities had to direct traffic to prevent grid lock on side roads in Stanstead, Quebec, as drivers heading back into the U.S. got held up at the border in Derby Line.

"People are very upset and it's causing tension between border community towns," said Senator Bernie Sanders.

The border crossing chaos prompted Senator Bernie Sanders to investigate. He's holding a public meeting in Derby Line Thursday, and will bring a Homeland Security big wig with him. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Assistant Commissioner Thomas Winkowski will address concerns from people sick of getting stuck.

"He's not just here to listen, but to come up with practical solutions to this problem," said Sanders.

And the problem is four-fold, a favorable exchange rate bringing Canadian shoppers south, a busy summer travel season, tightened security at the border post 9-11, and a lack of manpower. Senator Sanders, and a source within, says Homeland Security needs to hire more people to deal with the traffic tie-ups which will improve safety.

"Staffing is inadequate. Turnover is very high and we have less manpower than we need. And frankly morale is very low," said Sanders.

Some fear the favorable exchange rate is losing it's appeal with Canadians. It's not worth the wait. Senator Sanders says it's having a negative impact on Vermont's economy, especially in border towns. Jerry Carton agrees. He's a business owner in the Champlain Islands.

"We shouldn't be waiting in line because they're short staffed. The economic issue's been with us for two years. It has affected my business and I am sure I am not the only one," said Carton.

The worst time to cross appears to be on the weekends. But here's a way to check to see how long the waits will be. It's a web site that monitors traffic in and out of Canada. It updates every ten minutes. And gives you an estimation how long the delay will be.

A link to that web site is provided above.

A public meeting about the border backups will be held Thursday night in Derby Line, at the Haskell Opera House, which straddles the Canadian border. The meeting begins at 5 o'clock.