Economy

Trucking gears up for return of Quebec residential construction

MONTREAL, Que. – Quebec restarted selected residential construction activities this week, following a shutdown that lasted almost a month because of Covid-19. Residential construction businesses are back on the job…

ECONOMIC WATCH: Trucking conditions expected to turn negative until 2021

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Trucking conditions were positive in February, but that’s likely the last time FTR will be able to say that until 2021. Sharp declines in freight volumes, utilization…

TravelCenters of America lays off more than 3,000

WESTLAKE, Ohio – TravelCenters of America, one of North America’s largest truck stop chains, has laid…

ECONOMIC WATCH: Windsor truck traffic down sharply

WINDSOR, Ont. – Cross-border truck traffic in Windsor, Ont., has decreased significantly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to data shared by the Logistics, Transportation and Cross-Border Committee (LTCB) of…

Goodyear to phase-in restart of production

AKRON, Ohio – Goodyear plans to phase in a restart of production in the second quarter, beginning in April with some of its commercial truck tire facilities in the U.S.

ECONOMIC WATCH: Trailer orders fall precipitously

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – U.S. trailer orders in March fell 54% from depressed February levels, to 6,500 units, according to preliminary data from FTR. Orders were down 55% from March 2019,…

Manitoba’s adoption of NWPTA could help improve movement of goods in west

WINNIPEG, Man. – The Manitoba government has officially adopted the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA), which commits each of the four western provinces to trade by removing barriers to…

Telematics shows Covid-19 having mild to moderate impact on trucking activity

Heavy-duty trucking has continued to drive forward during the Covid-19 crisis, operating at around 89% of its normal rate of activity, according to telematics data from Geotab, compared to 69%…

ECONOMIC WATCH: Canadian economy devastated by Covid-19

OTTAWA, Ont. – Statistics Canada today issued a flash estimate for GDP, showing a decline of 9% in March, marking the largest single month decline ever seen since records were…

CBSA reduces service hours at 27 sites

OTTAWA, Ont. — The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has announced the temporary reduction of service hours at 27 low-traffic ports of entry (POE) along the Canada-U.S. border.

ECONOMIC WATCH: March spot market volumes reflect virus-related surge in demand

TORONTO, Ont. – TransCore’s Loadlink spot market load volumes surged 19% in March, reflecting the restocking of retail inventories and essential goods. March volumes were up 17% year-over-year, while equipment…

ECONOMIC WATCH: Covid-19 tightens grip on economy, commercial vehicle demand

COLUMBUS, Ind. – The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in freefalling GDP assumptions, and by extension freight volumes, carrier profits, and expectations for commercial vehicle demand, ACT Research reported in its…

Predicting the impact of Covid-19 on trucking

TORONTO, Ont. – Staggering job losses. Evaporating freight demand. And much of the global economy ground to a halt. Those are some of the headlines keeping fleet executives up at…

Global trucking reels under Covid-19

“This is a terrible situation, and many, many companies are looking down the barrel.” – Rod McKenzie, managing director of policy and public affairs, Road Haulage Association,…

Supply chain into Indigenous communities appears intact amid Covid-19 demand

VICTORIA, B.C. – Despite the challenges meeting demand across the country amid the Covid-19 crisis, provincial governments are confident the trucking industry is continuing to reach those in remote locations,…