Reference no: EM133146638

Project A - Trucking

Background:

The Canadian trucking or motor carrier industry, is an important part of the transportation industry, especially in the current environment driven by the Just-In-Time requirements of many industries and the growth of consumer e-commerce.  According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, the trucking industry consists of persons and firms engaged in the business of owning and operating motor trucks to transport goods and is composed mainly of 3 elements: contract, private and common carriage.

The Canadian Encyclopedia also differentiates the trucking industry as follows:

• A contract carrier transports goods for one or a limited number of consignors, according to contractual agreements specifying rates of compensation and other terms.
• A private carrier transports his own goods by his own motor vehicle, E.g, raw materials to processing, finished products to market. It is estimated that private carriage is at least as large as a common carriage in tonnage moved. 
• The common-carrier (or for-hire) industry is composed of individuals and establishments that own and operate for-hire motor trucks for the transportation, by road, of any and all goods. Thus, unlike the private or contract carrier, the common carrier serves the general-shipping public. The common-carrier industry provides shippers with full-service, door-to-door delivery, with an enforceable legal obligation to provide service at a published rate to even the smallest hamlet in N America.

It is estimated that 70% of manufactured goods moving between Canada and the US are carried by truck. On any given day, a look at the Ambassador Bridge, the current crossing between Canada and the US is clogged with trucks carrying a variety of goods between the two countries and is the busiest border crossing between any two countries in the world. Canadian carriers engaging in this international movement must, among other requirements, apply for US authorization and satisfy the requirements of both US and Canadian customs regulations.

Topics to be covered are as follows:

1) Industry overview in Canada

2) Types and Number of Carriers

3) Market Structure and Competition in the Canadian Trucking Industry. 

4)Operating and Service Characteristics of the trucking industry: 

5)Cost Structure

6)Current Issues in the Industry

Kindly provide references for each topic covered above.