Economy

Trailcon opens Edmonton dealership, service center

EDMONTON -- Trailcon Leasing of Mississauga, Ont. has headed west, opening a brand new branch in Edmonton.

Truck tonmiles continue receding in US: Market forecaster

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The economic outlook for trucking, especially in the U.S., is uncertain at best, with downside risks having risen significantly in recent months.

Phoenix expands wingspan in ‘berta patch

NISKU, Alta. -- Phoenix Oilfield Hauling, one of the fastest growing oilsands service providers in Alberta, has acquired all of the operating assets of Marcels Truck Service

Exchange rate having significant impact on exports, trucking

TORONTO -- Parity of the Canadian loonie relative to the U.S. dollar is further depressing manufacturing activity in eastern Canada and, in turn, reducing export levels and the demand for cross-border trucking.

Sept. truck orders lower than expected

NEW YORK -- Preliminary numbers for class 8 show 11,600 new orders in September -- down 29 percent year-to-year (vs. down 26% y/y in August), reports the transportation arm of New York market analysts Bear Stearns.

Atlantic Gateway concept gains momentum

HALIFAX -- A new report indicates there's loads of potential for Atlantic ports if they focused efforts on growing international container trade.

Busy season deflated: ATA economist

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- October has traditionally been the peak of the fall freight season, but don't expect to see a big bump in freight this month, says ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello -- or much economic improvement until the second half of 2008.

Freightliner takes parent’s name

PORTLAND, Ore. -- What's in a name? A lot, according to Freightliner LLC. The largest North American truckmaker announced its corporate name will now be Daimler Trucks North America LLC.

Industry turnaround on pause: Analysts

TORONTO -- Managers of some of Canada's largest truck freight carriers say they aren't optimistic that the industry will rebound until late 2008, early 2009 at the earliest.

Tiremaster switches to Michelin retread system

BRAMPTON, Ont. -- Tiremaster Ltd. is converting its retreading operations from the Bandag retreading process to the Michelin Retreading Technologies (MRT) process, the Brampton, Ont.-based company announced.

KD Trucking bought by Dalmac

EDMONTON -- John Babic, president and CEO of Dalmac Energy says his company has closed its $3.5 million acquisition of KD Trucking Ltd. of Wetaskawin Alta.

Bigger carriers hauling more freight: StatsCan

OTTAWA -- Canadian trucking companies making over $1 million transported 66.7 million shipments in 2005, up slightly from 2004.

Exports & imports tumble in August: StatsCan

OTTAWA -- Canada's merchandise trade surplus with the world widened in August in the wake of a decline in exports and an even sharper decrease in imports, which had hit a record high the month before.

Ottawa, Atlantic provinces ink deal on gateway strategy

HALIFAX -- The much-ballyhooed concept of a dedicated Atlantic Gateway got a major boost this past weekend, as Ottawa, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the development of Canada's Atlantic Gateway.

Mullen blames layoffs on royalty grab

CALGARY -- Western trucking and oilfield services provider, The Mullen Group, says it will be initiating 100 temporary lay-offs at several of its wholly-owned business units due to the uncertainty relating to oil and natural gas drilling activity in the region.