More in store for ’04: OTA chief

TORONTO, (Nov. 14, 2003) — The head of the largest carrier group in the country is predicting bigger and better things for the trucking industry next year.

Speaking to members at the group’s 77th annual convention this week, Ontario Trucking Association president David Bradley told members he expects better times ahead for an industry that is just putting behind it the ripple effect of the war in Iraq, diesel and insurance price hikes, the appreciation of the Canadian dollar by 20 per cent, and unpredictable events such as SARS and Mad Cow. “It’s rough enough in normal times in the trucking industry, but having all these things occur in the same year is extraordinary,” he said.

However, Bradley says that industry is just now beginning to pick up steam. The degree to which the Canadian economy rebounds, he says, will also depend on what happens with the dollar — and whether Paul Martin’s federal government can revitalize Canadian relations with the U.S.

Another issue that need immediate attention from the newly-elected provincial Liberals, he said, is support for the 9-point action plan for infrastructure investment at the Windsor border crossing agreed to by the previous administration. With a improved economy, Bradley says, more shippers will be willing to pay a fair rate. “The conditions are ripe (for rate increases),’ he says, “But it’s up to the carriers to make it happen.”

Still, the trucking industry faces more hurdles, especially with the need to adapt to an ever-changing regulatory environment. Hours of service rules, pre-notification of shipments to U.S. Customs and the Food and Drug Administration, as well as new license protocols for hazardous materials shipments need to be monitored closely.