Economy

Exports and imports rose in December

OTTAWA, ON - Canada recorded a trade surplus for the second consecutive month in December, with exports up 0.8% on the strength of higher energy products, and imports up 1%, largely on increases in aircraft and industrial machinery, Statistics Canada reports. But in terms of volumes, exports were down 1.4% because of drops in metal ores, non-metallic minerals, motor vehicles and parts. Import volumes were up 0.4%, based largely on industrial machinery, equipment and parts.

Canada’s heavy-duty aftermarket transforming

LAS VEGAS, NV - Truck and trailer sales continue to drop in Canada, but the value of the aftermarket that serves them continues to rise, according to statistics released during Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week.

Trump vows “America first” approach to trade

WASHINGTON, DC - Canada's largest trading partner has inaugurated a president who pledges "America first" policies on everything from trade to security. "From this day forward, it's going to be only America first. America first. Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families," U.S. President Donald Trump said in his inaugural address on Friday. "We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs."We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth and we will bring back our dreams," he added.

Driver shortage and the demographic cliff

Discussions about a driver shortage tend to fade away when the economy struggles, but there is no escaping the fact that Canada needs to attract a new generation of drivers. A 2016 study - Understanding the Truck Driver Demand and Supply Gap - determined that for-hire fleets will need 34,000 more drivers by 2024, many of whom will be needed to fill seats once held by drivers who retire or quit. Solutions will involve reaching out to underrepresented groups like millennials and women. In the meantime, limits on Temporary Foreign Workers have effectively eliminated another option.

Struggles in oil country

Low oil values have calmed prices at the pump, but they have also hit fleets and owner-operators who serve Canada's famed oil patch. Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers hosted a record-breaking sale in Edmonton this April, reselling about 10,600 pieces of equipment. That is clearly the sign of a struggling industry, especially when you consider that just 46% of the purchased equipment stayed in the province.

Mexico a “land of opportunity”, says Daimler’s Kurschner

PUERTO VALLARTA, MX - In a year when dealers in Canada and the U.S. face a dramatic downturn in truck sales, Mexico is a world apart. As of November the market for Class 4-8 vehicles was up 18.5%, and Daimler Trucks North America accounted for 36% of it -- up 7.8% over last year. But Stefan Kurschner, president and Chief Executive Officer of Daimler Vehiculos Comerciales Mexico, says there's room for more.

Hurricane relief boosts spot market freight

PORTLAND, OR - October represented the year's strongest month for available freight this year, with the exception of a seasonal peak in June, the DAT North American Freight Index shows. And post-hurricane reconstruction efforts may be responsible for some of the shift. The October volume was up 1.8% when compared to September, largely thanks to an 11% increase in flatbed freight. In contrast, van volume was down 0.6%. Reefers dropped 4%. "Flatbed freight is associated with energy exploration, as well as construction, which may have gotten a boost in October due to post-hurricane relief and rebuilding in the southeast," DAT Solutions reports.

Continental Tire breaks ground for Mississippi plant

Output from the Clinton, Mississippi plant will eventually supplement existing truck tire production from Continental's Mt. Vernon, Illinois facility, which is now at capacity of 3.2 million tires per year. Construction will formally begin in 2018, with the first tires coming off the line in late 2019.

Class 8 market to drop to 215,000 units in 2017: Volvo

LAURENS, SC – Volvo Trucks North America is expecting a further drop in Class 8 truck sales next year, adjusting its North American forecast down to 215,000 units for 2017.

Class 8 truck sales hit September slump

COLUMBUS, IN - A mere 13,900 Class 8 vehicle orders were booked in North America this September, according to ACT Research.

Daimler CEO talks growing share, struggling market

LAS VEGAS, NV - It's a tough market for truck sales these days, but Daimler Trucks North America president and Chief Executive Officer Martin Daum still sees a "light at the end of the tunnel" - and is setting firm goals for the year to come. Where Canadian Class 8 sales were up 6% in 2014 and 3% in 2015, they are down 24% this year. Daum expects 360,000 Class 6-8 trucks to be sold in the NAFTA region this year, down dramatically from 424,000 units last year, and even the 384,000 in 2014.

Spear attacks lawmakers, pledges action

LAS VEGAS, NV - The president and Chief Executive Officer of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) launched a blistering attack on the record of U.S. lawmakers on Monday, pledging to take action on issues ranging from taxation to Hours of Service.

ELD mandate tops industry concerns in survey

LAS VEGAS, NV -- A pending mandate for Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) is topping a list of the Top 10 critical issues facing North America's trucking industry, as compiled by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).

Truck numbers bottoming out, but has the economy?

LAS VEGAS, NV - Several indicators suggest that the U.S. trucking industry is approaching the end of an economic downturn. But broader economic growth is still being slowed by uncertainty around the U.S. election -- and the global rise in populism, nationalism and isolationism, a leading U.S. economist says.

WABCO links with Peloton, Mobileye

HANNOVER, Germany - Autonomous driving took a step forward with the new collaboration of the German company with both Peloton and Mobileye.