7 ROAD TRANSPORTATION

FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION

HEAVY TRUCK FLEET

The Canadian Vehicle Survey also provides information on the heavy truck fleet and its use characteristics (see Table 7-6). In 2002, more than 580,000 trucks were registered with a gross vehicle weight of at least 4,500 kilograms. This fleet was split between 315,000 medium trucks, weighing between 4,500 kilograms and 15,000 kilograms, and 268,000 heavy or Class 8 trucks, weighing more than 15,000 kilograms. Three quarters of the Class 8 heavy truck fleet were concentrated in only three provinces (Ontario with 38 per cent, Alberta with 24 per cent and Quebec with 13 per cent), while about 90 per cent of the medium truck fleet was concentrated in five provinces (Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec and Saskatchewan). The distribution of vehicle-kilometres tilted heavily in favour of heavy trucks, at more than 18 billion in 2002 versus fewer than 5.5 billion for medium trucks. The distribution of heavy truck vehicle-kilometres was even more concentrated, as Ontario, Alberta and Quebec combined to account for more than 80 per cent of the kilometres driven.

Given similar numbers of trucks and a huge difference in vehicle-kilometres, it was no surprise that average distance driven per truck in 2002 was much greater for heavy trucks than for medium trucks. On average, heavy trucks were driven nearly 68,000 kilometres per year, almost four times more than the 17,000 kilometres that medium trucks were driven. By province, the variation in average distance driven by heavy trucks was also substantial, ranging from a low of 12,000 kilometres per vehicle in Prince Edward Island to more than 100,000 per vehicle in Quebec. Medium truck use across jurisdiction also showed a wide variation, from a low of only 4,000 kilometres in Saskatchewan to more than 23,000 in Quebec and Ontario.

HEAVY TRUCK VEHICLE CONFIGURATION

Table 7-7 provides a different perspective on the medium/heavy truck fleet based on truck configuration. The majority of trucks were classified as straight trucks (i.e. the power unit and the cargo area are combined in a single chassis), with 300,000 registered in the ten provinces. About 170,000 trucks were classified as tractor-trailers (i.e. the power unit pulls the cargo area in a separate trailer). The balance, about 110,000 vehicles, were classified as buses and other vehicles. While tractor-trailer combinations accounted for just 30 per cent of the fleet, they accounted for two thirds of the truck vehicle-kilometres, or 15.5 billion. Once again, this pattern was owing to the massive difference in average distance driven per vehicle. Straight trucks were driven fewer than 20,000 kilometres per year, while tractor- trailers were driven more than 90,000 kilometres per year.

Note: Figures exclude the Territories. Some totals may not add up due to rounding. Data refer to all trucks with a gross vehicle weight of at least 4,500 kg.

Source: Canadian Vehicle Survey 2002 and Transport Canada calculations

Table 7-8 provides further detail on heavy truck vehicle configurations. Medium trucks were characterized by the straight truck configuration, with about 80 per cent of the kilometres driven using this format. Heavy trucks were dominated by various tractor-trailer combinations, with the most popular being a tractor and one trailer (the conventional 18 wheeler), which accounted for nearly 70 per cent of the heavy truck vehicle-kilometres. Straight trucks performed just under 18 per cent of the heavy truck vehicle-kilometres.

Note: Figures exclude the Territories. Some totals may not add up due to rounding. Data refer to all trucks with a gross vehicle weight of at least 4,500 kg.

Source: Canadian Vehicle Survey 2002 and Transport Canada calculations

Medium trucks were put to various uses, with 57 per cent of the vehicle-kilometres taken up with carrying goods or equipment, a traditional freight-hauling role, while 35 per cent was 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 5.4 billion vehicle- kilometres driven by medium trucks, about eight per cent were done empty.

Heavy truck activity was dominated by the conventional goods-hauling role, as nearly 80 per cent of the vehicle- kilometres was devoted to carrying goods or equipment. About five per cent was for other work purposes, while about 16 per cent of vehicle-kilometres was made empty.

Table 7-9 shows the typical uses of Canada's medium and heavy trucks in 2002.

Note: Figures exclude the Territories. Some totals may not add up due to rounding. Data refer to all trucks with a gross vehicle weight of at least 4,500 kg.

Source: Canadian Vehicle Survey 2002 and Transport Canada calculations

TRUCK TRAFFIC BY SECTOR

After a slowdown due to the 1990/91 recession, for-hire truck ⁶ traffic jumped from 72.9 to 177.2 billion tonne- kilometres over the 1992 - 2002 period. The transborder sector dominated, with an annual average growth rate of 13.6 per cent. This was more than twice the rate in domestic trucking activities, which was 6.2 per cent. Domestic trucking activities include intraprovincial and interprovincial activities, which grew at rates of five and nearly seven per cent a year, respectively.

In terms of value, about 66 per cent of Canada-U.S. trade moved by truck in 2002. Commodities shipped by truck from/to the United States totalled $372 billion, with exports accounting for $197 billion of this. Preliminary 2003 trade data (11 months) show a decrease of 10 per cent in the value of cargo carried by truck from/to the United States. A contributing factor to the decreasing growth in transborder traffic in 2003 was a sluggish U.S. economy for most of 2003 combined with an appreciation of the Canadian dollar, which has made Canadian goods relatively more expensive to American consumers.

Figure 7-4 illustrates the growth of Canadian for-hire trucking traffic between 1988 and 2002. Table A7-8 in the Addendum provides the data in a tabular form.

FIGURE 7-4: TOTAL FOR-HIRE TRUCKING TRAFFIC IN ANNUAL TONNE-KILOMETRES, 1988 - 2002

Note: For-hire trucking carriers with annual operating revenues of $0.5 million or more (1988/89) and of $1 million or more (1990 - 2002).

Source: Statistics Canada, Trucking in Canada, Cat. 53-222 and Special tabulations

COMMODITIES AND TRUCKING FLOWS

In 2002, domestic and transborder for-hire trucking traffic by Canadian firms generated revenues of $8.3 billion and $7.3 billion, respectively. About 81 per cent of transport revenues were attributable to six groups of commodities: manufactured products (25 per cent), food products (17 per cent), forest products (13 per cent), metal and steel products (10 per cent), automobile and transport products (eight per cent) and plastic/chemical products (eight per cent). In terms of volume, measured in tonne-kilometres, the same six commodities also dominated in the same proportion (i.e. 81 per cent of the total).

Ontario dominated in all market segments, with 36 per cent of intraprovincial trucking traffic, 33 per cent of interprovincial trucking traffic and 44 per cent of total transborder traffic hauled by trucks. At the interprovincial level, the largest movements were between Ontario and Quebec (12.4 billion tonne-kilometres), representing almost 24 per cent of total interprovincial trade by for-hire trucks in volume. At the transborder level, the heaviest traffic flows involved those between Ontario and the U.S. central region (18.4 billion tonne-kilometres) and between Ontario and the U.S. southern region (11.4 billion tonne- kilometres). For additional information on volume and trucking flows, see tables A7-9 to A7-11 in the Addendum.

CANADA-U.S. BORDER CROSSING ACTIVITY

Heavy truck activity across the Canada-U.S. border shrank two per cent in 2003, falling back to the 2001 level of 13 million two-way trips. This is the third straight year of steady or no growth in crossing activity since the peak of 13.6 million trips in 2000. The levelling off of activity reflects continuing weakness in the U.S. economy, which reduces the demand for freight transportation. At 60.1 million trips, car crossings were off another six per cent from 2002, the lowest level since 1986. For further details on border activity by border crossing, see the Transport Canada Annual Report homepage at www.tc.gc.ca. See Addendum tables A7-12 and A7-13.

⁶ Including Canadian domiciled long-distance for-hire trucking firms with annual operating revenues of $1 million or more. Back to text

Major Events in 2003

Infrastructure

Passenger Transportation

Freight Transportation

Price, Productivity, Financial Performance