7 ROAD TRANSPORTATION

FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION

HEAVY TRUCK FLEET BY PROVINCE/TERRITORY

The Canadian Vehicle Survey provides information on the heavy truck fleet and its use characteristics (see Table 7-9). In 2005, there were 321,000 medium trucks registered (weighing between 4,500 and 15,000 kilograms) and 294,000 heavy or Class 8 trucks (weighing over 15,000 kilograms), for a total of nearly 615,000 such trucks. Three quarters of the Class 8 heavy truck fleet was concentrated in three provinces (Ontario with 37 per cent, Alberta with 25 per cent and Quebec with 13.5 per cent). The medium truck fleet was concentrated in five provinces, which shared about 90 per cent of the total. The distribution of vehicle-kilometres in 2005 was heavily tilted in favour of heavy trucks over medium trucks, at 21.5 billion versus about six billion. The distribution of heavy truck vehicle-kilometres was even more concentrated in Ontario, Alberta and Quebec, as these provinces accounting for 80 per cent of the kilometres driven.

Note: Medium trucks have a gross weight between 4.5 tonnes and 15 tonnes; heavy trucks have a gross weight of 15 tonnes or more. Figures may not add up due to rounding.

Source: Canadian Vehicle Survey, 2005 Annual Averages

On average, heavy trucks were driven 73,000 kilometres per year, about four times as much as medium trucks, which were driven 19,000 kilometres pre year. This discrepancy is no surprise, given a huge difference in vehicle-kilometres despite similar numbers of trucks. The variation in heavy truck average distance driven by province was also substantial, ranging from a low of 24,000 per vehicle in Prince Edward Island to a high of 107,000 per vehicle in Quebec. Medium truck use across jurisdiction also varied widely, from a low of only 6,000 in P.E.I. to over 22,000 in Quebec.

HEAVY TRUCK VEHICLE CONFIGURATIONS

Table 7-10 provides a different perspective on the medium/heavy truck fleet, one based on truck configuration of straight trucks (power unit and cargo area combined in a single chassis) versus tractor-trailers (power unit pulls cargo area in a separate trailer). In 2005, there were 339,000 trucks registered as straight trucks in the ten provinces compared with about 183,000 trucks classified as tractor-trailers. The remaining 88,000 trucks were classified as “other vehicles.” While tractor-trailer combinations accounted for about 30 per cent of the fleet, they accounted for two thirds of the truck vehiclekilometres, or 18.1 billion. Once again, this pattern was owing to the substantial difference in average distance driven per vehicle. Straight trucks were driven over 22,000 kilometres per year, while tractor-trailers were driven nearly 100,000 kilometres per year. Heavy truck fuel efficiency averaged about 33 L/100 km, with straight trucks averaging 31 L/100 km and tractor-trailers averaging 35 L/100 km.

Notes: Figures refer to all trucks with a gross weight of at least 4.5 tonnes. Figures exclude the territories and buses.

Source: Canadian Vehicle Survey, 2005 Annual Averages

Most medium trucks were characterized as straight trucks, and 85 per cent of the vehicle-kilometres driven used this format in 2005. Heavy trucks, by contrast, were dominated by various tractor-trailer combinations, the most popular being a tractor and one trailer (the conventional 18 wheeler). These accounted for over two thirds of the heavy truck vehicle-kilometres, while straight trucks accounted for only 15 per cent of the heavy truck vehicle-kilometres. Table 7-11 provides further details.

Notes: Figures refer to all trucks with a gross weight of at least 4.5 tonnes. Figures exclude the territories and buses.

Source: Canadian Vehicle Survey, 2005 Annual Averages

Table 7-12 shows the typical uses of medium and heavy trucks. Medium trucks were used for a mix of purposes: 60 per cent of the vehicle-kilometres were taken up with carrying goods or equipment, a traditional freight-hauling role, while 35 per cent were devoted to non-freight carrying functions such as making service calls. These latter functions illustrate that medium-sized trucks were not confined solely to the for-hire or private “trucking” business. Of the nearly six billion vehiclekilometres driven in the 10 provinces, five per cent were done empty.

Notes: Figures refer to all trucks with a gross weight of at least 4.5 tonnes. Figures exclude the territories and buses.

Source: Canadian Vehicle Survey, 2005 Annual Averages

Heavy truck activity was dominated by the conventional goods-hauling role, as 75 per cent of the vehiclekilometres reported were for carrying goods or equipment. Only 11 per cent were for other work purposes, and about 13 percent of the vehicle-kilometres were made empty.

FOR-HIRE/PRIVATE OPERATION

For-hire trucking operators are those companies that provide trucking services to other companies for profit, while private operators typically haul their own goods (e.g. bakeries, beer companies). Owner-operators are individuals who own their own truck and hire out trucking services to other individuals or companies, also for profit. They are like for-hire firms except on a much smaller scale. Table 7-13 presents a breakdown of heavy truck activity by for-hire/private operation in 2005.

Notes: Figures refer to all trucks with a gross weight of at least 4.5 tonnes. Figures exclude the territories and buses.

Source: Canadian Vehicle Survey, 2005 Annual Averages

Private trucking was concentrated in short-distance movements using largely medium-sized trucks. Nearly 58 per cent of the medium trucks registered were operated by private firms in 2005, compared with just 10 per cent for for-hire firms and 14 per cent for owner-operators. Moreover, medium-sized trucks made up about 75 per cent of the fleet operated by private firms. By contrast, private operators accounted for only 23 per cent of the heavy truck fleet, with for-hire operators accounting for 47 per cent and owner-operators accounting for about 22 per cent. For-hire fleets were dominated by heavy trucks, accounting for 80 per cent of the total. Overall, 41 per cent of the truck fleet was operated by private truckers with 28 per cent operated by for-hire truckers, 18 per cent by owner-operators and 13 per cent other/unknown.

Vehicle use was dramatically different between the forhire and private trucking sectors. For-hire operators accounted for about half the vehicle-kilometres in 2005, owner-operators for 22 per cent and private operators for 22 per cent. Overall, for-hire trucks accounted for the majority of average distance driven, at almost 80,000 kilometres per year, compared with only 24,000 for private truckers and 55,000 for owner-operators. Heavy-class trucks run by for-hire companies logged more than twice as many kilometres than private trucking companies, with over 90,000 kilometres compared with 43,000 kilometres.

Major Events in 2006

Other Issues of Significance

Infrastructure

Industry Structure

Passenger Transportation

Freight Transportation

Trucking Freight Transportation

Price, Productivity and Financial Performance