MONTREAL, QC – A study that is reportedly the first of its kind offers a profile of Montreal drayage drivers and examines communication technologies currently used by them and drayage trucking companies in the region.

It’s a collaboration between the Asia Pacific Gateway Skills Table, a non-profit, regional partnership between labor, business and education/training institutions, and the Montreal Port Authority.

According to the study, many drivers and employers already use smartphones to share and obtain traffic information. It also found that drivers actively using newer technology will increase and a significant percentage of drivers would prefer to use newer technologies to receive their information.

Using communications technologies to reduce congestion and wait times is a major factor in increasing productivity for drivers who work full time and who make multiple trips to and from the port, according to the groups.

The report included a survey of more than 400 drivers and 30 employers, and determined key demographic information about drivers – 97 percent are male, average driver age is 46 years old, and 51 percent speak French – as well as industry structure, including finding about two-thirds of drivers work for a trucking company, while one-third own their own trucks.

“The report shows a picture of a distinctive labor force, how they work, and how they want to receive critical information,” said Krista Bax, executive director, Asia Pacific Gateway Skills Table. “Our study findings can be used as a guide for the port and employers on how best to communicate with drivers, which benefits the entire sector.”

Questions focused on preferences, methods and tools used to communicate between employers and drivers. This is the third report that the Asia Pacific Gateway Skills Table has undertaken on the drayage industry, and the first to focus on Montreal’s drayage sector.

“The message is clear: the drayage workforce is changing. Moving towards newer technologies can help reduce driver wait times at the port and effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Daniel Dagenais, vice-president of operations at the Port of Montreal. “Technology will be at the forefront of our plans, and we are excited that this project has given us a greater understanding of the people driving goods to and from our port and how they are communicating.”

To download the Port of Montreal Drayage Labour Profile and Communications Study, visit its website.