Private, regional and city trucking combine to make up the quiet Goliath of the Canadian trucking industry. While their over-the-road counterparts capture most of the government attention and much of the media spotlight, the private and government municipal and regional fleets make up a large and important component of the Canadian trucking community.
The for-hire transportation industry itself accounts for about 3.7% of economic output as measured by gross domestic product, but when private transportation services are included, the contribution of the entire transportation sector rises to 6.3%. Truck and delivery van services dominate such “own-account” transportation, accounting for nearly 89%.
Not only do the private and municipal or regional fleets that ply our nation’s city infrastructure have an important role to play, they also have equipment and informational needs distinctly different from their over-the-road cousins. Having easy access to the information necessary to formulate sound management strategies can be difficult, however, when the primary focus of the business is on the product or service it provides rather than the trucks necessary to deliver it.
That is the reason we launched City Smarts last year and why we have continued with it this year. It is designed as a guide to help private and municipal and regional fleet managers make more informed and strategic decisions in a variety of areas ranging from spec’ing components to managing safety and green practices.
In this year’s supplement, available with the November/December issue of Fleet Executive and your next issue of Truck news, you will find information about the latest emissions standards and how they will affect medium-duty truck buying practices; driving practices no sound safety plan should be without; a primer on the ins and outs of ergonomic city driving; and everything you need to know to make a smart decision when buying tires for city or regional applications. In addition, we have pulled some highlights from our research on private fleet practices.
More information is available in the City Smarts module on www.trucknews.com.
We trust the information provides the fleet managers in this sector with an insightful and rich source that will help in their every-day decision making.