The Canadian trucking industry is regaining its strength, according to the latest TransCore’s Canadian Freight Index. With a 26 percent increase over October 2009, the market is off to its strongest fourth quarter start since 2007. What’s more is that freight movement is holding strong. In October, it reached the second highest level for the same month over the last five years. While the month-over-month comparison saw a decline of 23 index points, freight availability continues to hover above the 200 index point marker, surpassed in March and maintained for eight of the last Continue Reading

Sorting out provincial bans on various communications is about to get a little more difficult, especially if you travel across the borders. Alberta recently announced a ban on handheld phones while driving to take effect mid-next year. But unlike what was previously reported, CB use is still legal, according to the Alberta Motor Transport Association. That is if you’re a commercial driver or emergency personnel. The original announcement banning CBs was directed at drivers who use them recreationally. Meanwhile, Ontario is moving forward with its ban on handheld devices that could Continue Reading

Spot market freight volume in Canada showed a healthy increase from last year, according to TransCore’s Canadian Freight Index, and a 2 percent increase from July to August. With increasing freight and lower equipment availability–a trend for the last eight months–freight for the month of August 2010 registered a five-year high at 55 percent more year-over-year. TransCore’s Loadlink is a freight matching database and the largest Canadian network of carriers, owner operators, freight brokers and intermediaries. Over 12 million full loads, LTL (less than truck load) shipments and trucks are Continue Reading

Canada’s exports continued to drop, while imports rose, according to the latest numbers from Statistics Canada. For July, exports declined 0.7 percent, or from $33 billion in June to $32.8 billion in July, marking the fourth decrease in six months. Leading the decrease was industrial machinery such as aircraft, engines and parts. Other export drops included consumer products and forestry products, which fell after 10 straight months of growth. Exports to Continue Reading

An international group of transportation engineers recently presented the possibility of a new “sixth mode” of transportation to the Canadian Transportation Research Forum. Primarily directed at logging companies trying to reach valuable natural resources to costly for pipelines, trucks, airplanes and boats, airships–unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like balloons and zeppelins–could do the work for less. Engineers on the project said Continue Reading

British Columbia and local safety officials are stepping up commercial vehicle inspections for the rest of the summer. In particular, Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement officers will be looking for critical defects, such as with steering, tires, brakes and rims, that should have been easily detected prior to making the trip and are indicative of poor maintenance. According to the province’s amendments to Continue Reading

Canada’s Ontario province is taking steps to increase the integrity and safety of live animal transport within its borders. Most of the recommendations from the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) Livestock Transporters’ Division’s policy paper pertain to training and inspections for both vehicle and animal safety. The OTA’s livestock transporters’ division members operate close to 600 tractors across Continue Reading

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published its final rule that eliminates the need for Canadian insurance companies to maintain U.S.-issued policies. The FMCSA supported the rule in part because Canada does not impose similar standards on the U.S. The rule, which will take effect on Continue Reading

Nova Scotia is expanding some of its limits on long combination vehicles (LCVs). Province officials recently announced that carriers are now allowed to run three LCV round trips per day, up from the previous limit of one. All Continue Reading

The first phase of infrastructure improvemets to boost efficiency of Canada’s trade with North America and Asia is underway. The development of a four-lane divided expressway and upgrades to Highway 75 around CentrePort Canada is just the beginning of a multi-pronged plan to move trade more effectively across the country and into the Asia Pacific Gateway, as well as the United States and Mexico. The project calls Continue Reading