Canadian truck volumes soften, capacity tightens

Canadian truck volumes soften, capacity tightens    Canadian truck volumes were down sharply in July, according to data from freight-matching service TransCore.
   The company's Canadian Freight Index was down 22 percent from June, the biggest monthly drop for the month of July since 2007.
   Shipment levels typically decrease in July, the start of the summer vacation and highway construction seasons, but this year's decrease was more than normal. Shipments were up 3 percent compared to July 2010.
   Shippers post available loads and truckers post available equipment to TransCore's Loadlink spot-market freight exchange.
   Equipment postings in July dropped from the increases of the past two months. Capacity was also down 10 percent from July 2010 and at the lowest recorded level for the month of July in over five years. With lower volumes in load availability, the equipment-to-loads ratio saw an increase in July, reaching levels not seen since January of this year, TransCore said.
   The capacity squeeze parallels what is happening in the U.S. market.