TORONTO — Starting this month the Ontario Trucking Association will check the industry’s pulse using a new tool – a quarterly online business conditions survey.

OTA carrier members will be invited to participate in the survey (designed to take less than 5 minutes to complete) every quarter to provide OTA with the latest snapshot of the industry’s economic conditions.

The survey results will be compiled in aggregate form and made available to OTA members. OTA will use the data when commenting on the industry’s economic conditions to the media and governments.

Fleets will be asked to provide information on intra and interprovincial rates and volumes, north and south bound indications for the same industry conditions, so as to gauge industry trends in receivables, fuel and accessorial charges, as well as capital acquisition and labour trends.

Carriers will not be asked to provide operational figures, just to provide anecdotal comment on the last three months of business activity and projections for the period ahead.

The survey will be conducted in July, October, January and April of each year.