OTTAWA, Ont. — The operating ratio for Canada’s for-hire carriers earning at least one million in annual revenues deteriorated to 0.94, according to Statistics Canada records for the first quarter of 2007.

The operating ratio measures operating expenses divided by operating revenues.

While operating expenses were down 4.8% for the first quarter compared to the same period in 2006, operating revenues declined 5.9% for the same period. Operating expenses reached $6.5 billion and revenues totalled $6.9 billion.

On a year-over-year basis, average operating revenues declined 6.9% to $1.9 million, while average operating expenses decreased 5.8% to $1.8 million.

In addition, for-hire trucking transportation revenues from domestic movements decreased by 11.2% to $4.5 billion from the $5.0 billion registered in the first quarter of 2006. In contrast, revenues from international movements increased 9.2%, mainly because of an almost 14% growth in revenues from outbound movements.
There were an estimated 3,579 for-hire trucking companies based in Canada with annual revenues of $1 million or more in the first quarter of 2007, up from 3,541 carriers in the first quarter of 2006.