Changing trade patterns point to long-term challenge for trucking

Costs for Canada’s largest carriers are continuing to rise faster than revenues and that should be cause for concern on two fronts. First, obviously, because cost containment is proving…

Is Canada finally ready to invest in its infrastructure?

I’ve been hearing a lot of talk lately from both top ranking transportation ministry bureaucrats and their political bosses that they’re finally ready to start spending the money necessary to…

Is industry consolidation about to slow down? Not a chance

Listening to the federal finance minister’s refusal today to either apologize for or reconsider the government’s plan to curb the growing trend towards income trusts, I’m left wondering what this…

Hours of Service Delays – they would be “criminal” if they weren’t so “Canadian”

I could call what’s happening with the new hours of service legislation in Canada right now “criminal” if there were not a better description for it: totally and utterly “Canadian”.

THE BASEMENT FILES: Research that should be filed but NOT forgotten

I dread the last two weeks of December. That’s when I force myself to my basement office to sift through and clean up the mountain of paper that naturally accumulates…

Slack capacity? It won’t last long

Have you been finding it harder of late to find freight, particularly for US bound hauls? Perhaps you’re seeing competitors easing off on rate increases, maybe even backing off on…

2006: Another record year for truck sales or cause for concern?

Class 8 truck sales hit a record 35,984 units in 2005, easily surpassing the previous record of 30,984 set back in 1999. Can 2006 possibly be better? I've been asked that question a lot lately. To be honest I'm struggling with the answer. The January numbers certainly point in that direction with the year off to its fastest start on record. There were 2,441 Class 8 trucks sold in Canada this January, according to records from the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association. In comparison, last year's record year started with 2,173 trucks sold. And the five-year average for the month is just 1,548. But is there enough momentum in the economy and the need for new iron among Canadian fleets and owner/operators to last the entire year?

Is our coverage of the speed limiter debate fair?

A recent letter from an owner/operator’s association criticizing our report on the Ontario Trucking Association’s poll showing most Ontarians support speed limiting for trucks has left me wondering why the…

Want to improve the shipper-carrier relationship?

There appears to be a lot of frustration lately on both sides of the transportation equation. Shippers are grumbling about rising rates and the fairness of fuel surcharges while at…