Canada is the 12th largest export economy in the world. In 2017 alone, about $433 billion were exported out which three-quarters goes to the U.S. This may be thanks to NAFTA, but it may also be due to Canada’s geographic location which basically isolates the country from other potentially helpful neighbours, with the exception of course of the United States. Understandably, this situation makes shipments of goods to other countries significantly more expensive.
While it’s important to recognize the value of all five major transportation modes, trucking is by far the most heavily used mode of shipping goods to and from both Canada and Mexico. Carrying a whopping 63.3% of the entire freight transported across North America in 2017, trucks were also responsible for transporting almost 58% of the freight’s value in Canada specifically.
Due to this, there are many business that heavily rely on shipping vehicle options and in particular trucking. Consider that over 13% of all exports in Canada are cars. Transporting auto parts and finished cars needs a type of transportation that can do long haul, short haul, local and over border movements. That’s where trucking services are paramount. And cars are not the only industry to benefit from this. Manufacturing and retail activities continue to stimulate growth for road transportation.
Oversized items and consumable shipments depend on efficient ground transportation as many times they cannot be moved by air or rail. Canada and the U.S. now witness at least12 million truck crossings per year and that number will continue to grow offering both steady employment and financial gains.
As a Canadian business, it’s essential to know what trucking company to choose. There are several differentiator factors in this market. Cost, speed and safety are the first ones that come in anyone’s mind to begin with. It’s best to access services that ensure expedite delivery and the know how to make aspects such as truck loading as safe and as cost efficient as possible. Depending on the products transported, it is also important to think about temperature controlled vehicles that can maintain items cool or frozen despite weather conditions. Should the cargo be tall or extremely heavy as it is the case of cars, the shipment might require step decks or double drop trailers to accommodate the load.
Trucking services are the heartbeat of Canada. Without them, many of the goods and materials people need across the country and outside it would be stuck in the mud. And with the growth in e-commerce, everyone not only expects their delivery within a short time as consumers, but also want access to purchase and exchange goods as businesses.
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