OTTAWA, Ont. – Transborder trade, responsible for more than 40 per cent of carrier revenues, offered a mixed bag in September.

Exports fell by 3.2 per cent, offsetting much of the robust gain recorded in August, but imports increased for the eighth straight month, according to a report from Statistics Canada.

The automotive sector was the main contributor to the drop in exports, which declined in September after a record high in August. In particular, car and truck exports plummeted by 13.5 per cent and 11.9 per cent, respectively. However, these decreases did not completely cancel out last month’s increases – third quarter figures for the automotive sector, a major client for truckers, stood 4.9 per cent higher compared with the second quarter. Exports of gold, uranium and miscellaneous wood products also contributed to the decrease, Statistics Canada reports. The decrease was somewhat offset by higher imports of metals and minerals, particularly zinc, nickel and copper.

Imports, meanwhile, after increasing for the eighth straight month, now stand 6.7 per cent higher compared with February of this year. n