TORONTO— Ontario carriers are not optimistic about rate and freight prospects in the first quarter of 2014, according to a report by the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA), which surveys trucking companies four times a year.

Here are the survey’s findings:

• 26: the percentage of carriers who say they are optimistic for freight volumes in Ontario over the next six months; that’s 14 percent fewer than in the first quarter of last year
• 70: the percentage of carriers who say that prices are likely going to remain unchanged both within Ontario and across the provinces
• 16: the percentage of carriers who expect capacity to increase in the first quarter of 2014
• 55: the percentage of carriers who say capacity will likely stand still throughout 2014, a trend continued from 2013, according to the survey
• 46: the percentage of carriers who plan to grow their fleet
• 30: the percentage of carriers who report that their customers are lengthening terms – that’s nearly double the number from past OTA surveys
• 72: the percentage of carriers reporting price hikes in tractors
• 77: the percentage of carriers reporting higher maintenance costs, some as high as five to 10 percent higher.