For-Hire Freight Motor Carriers: A Few Statistics

In the third quarter, the top 91 for-hire motor carriers of freight (Canadian-based trucking companies earning $25 million or more annually) generated operating revenue of $2.4 billion and operating expenses of $2.3 billion in the second quarter, both almost unchanged from the preceding quarter.

Average per-carrier revenue increased 5.0% from the third quarter of 2005 to $26.4 million, while average per carrier expenses increased 5.5% to $24.7 million.

The operating ratio (operating expenses divided by operating revenue) was 0.94, compared with 0.93 in the third quarter of 2005. A ratio greater than 1.00 represents an operating loss.

The third quarter of 2006 data on the top for-hire carriers, taken from the Quarterly Motor Carriers of Freight Survey, provide results from 64 general freight carriers and 27 specialized freight carriers.
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Source : Statistics Canada

“Nina” and the Next Generation of Logisticians

On December 7, 2006, HEC Montréal released a promotional CD-ROM on logistics entitled “The Adventures of Nina, Vol. 1: Nina Takes up Logistics.” The CD contains a video, produced and funded by the Institut de formation en gestion du transport et de la logistique (IFGTL), that targets high school students in order to interest them in a career in logistics.

Double-click on the image to start the video
If you can’t see the animation above, download Quicktime by clicking here

The video has already been presented to business stakeholders and its success has surpassed the expectations of its producers. Also, over 500 copies have been distributed to vocational guidance counsellors at CEGEPs, colleges and high schools across Quebec. With this tool, the authors hope to promote logistics as a profession with a very bright future.
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Source : Jacques Roy, Professor, HEC Montréal

Mr. Guy Champagne, Senior Director, Integrated Logistics, Ryder Logistics and Transport

On August 28, 2006, Mr. Champagne was nominated as Senior Director, Integrated Logistics, at Ryder Logistics and Transport. Previously, Mr. Champagne was Director of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.'s distribution centre.

Mr. Réjean Bousquet, Vice-President, Sales and Customs Logistics, W2C Customs Management Inc.

Customs Management W2C Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Réjean (Reggie) Bousquet as Vice-President, Sales and Customs Logistics. Holder of a bachelor’s degree in economics, Mr. Bousquet has acquired more than 22 years of experience in management, compliance, education and training in Canadian and American customs trade.

Mr. Gilles Ducharme, Executive Vice-President, Eastern Canada,
Econo-Rack

On September 18, 2006, Mr. Ducharme was nominated as Executive Vice-President, Eastern Canada, at Econo-Rack. Mr. Ducharme will also remain CEO of Technirack, which was recently acquired by Econo-Rack.

Mr. Eric Siegel, President and CEO of Export Development Canada (EDC).

The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of International Trade, announced on December 8, 2006, the appointment of Eric Siegel as President and Chief Executive Officer of Export Development Canada (EDC). Mr. Siegel joined EDC in 1979 and has held several senior roles in the organization.

Please send us your notices of appointment at
info@transport411.com

How to Do Business with Uncle Sam

According to Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Canadian exporters have lately been concluding agreements with the American government in increasing numbers. Although there are many ways of going about this, Canadian businesses may, as a first step, consult with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). This organisation facilitates negotiations with suppliers to supply goods and services, for example, with open delivery timeframes and production limits, thus simplifying purchasing procedures for government buyers.

GSA Schedules are one of the mechanisms made available to government purchasers, allowing them to negotiate long-term contracts at anytime with registered suppliers offering commercially available goods and services. Each schedule represents a category of goods or services, with 53 categories in total covering the needs of the American federal civil service.

Last year, 700 Canadian exporters negotiated over one billion dollars in contracts with the American government. Of these, 103 businesses concluded deals through the GSA, for sales of 62 million CAD. Canadian exporters wishing to go engage through the GSA process should visit this page and identify the GSA Schedule Solicitation corresponding the products or services offered, and then follow the steps described here.

In addition to GSA Schedules, Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC) allow government purchasers to acquire a range of Information Technology services through a variety of contractual agreements, with the common restriction that proposals must be tendered at fixed dates.

For amounts smaller than 100 000 $, government buyers may call upon Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP), as stipulated by Article 13 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), as opposed to the standard, more complicated procedure. Approximately 11 % of US Government contracts are awarded this way to Canadian businesses.

Finally, the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC), a crown corporation, has been helping Canadian businesses for the past 60 years in finding international outlets. It offers, among others, contract and procurement support to Canadian businesses wishing to sell their products and services in a variety of focused marketplaces, such as Government Sales and International Development. In particular, sales targeting aerospace, the military and security handled through the CCC in 2004-2005 reached over 1.4 billion dollars.
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Source : Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (1) and (2)