By Tyler Kula, from www.theobserver.ca The Observer
Truck traffic is up on the Blue Water Bridge, lending credence to a recent Ontario Trucking Association survey that found renewed economic confidence.
Some 57,880 U.S.-bound truck crossed the bridge in October, an increase of 1,800 vehicles from last October. Some 67,243 trucks crossed into Canada, down about 200 trucks.
That meshes with a 4Q11 survey that polled 55 trucking companies, said Ontario Trucking Association president David Bradley.
“The industry is weathering the storm, which suggests the economy is weathering the storm.”
Heading stateside, 21% of those surveyed said freight volumes were improving, 14% said they were getting worse and 65% said there was no change.
Going into Canada, 35% said volumes were increasing and 58% said they were unchanged.
A higher number of those surveyed also expressed uncertainty about trucking: 40% said they were uncertain about the industry’s prospects, up from 26% last quarter.
“While people are uncertain, we’re not seeing it in any great extent in terms of a deterioration in freight volumes,” said Bradley.
Car traffic at the Blue Water Bridge in October was up substantially compared to last year. More than 10,000 additional cars made the journey in both directions.
Total U.S.-bound traffic including cars, trucks and buses reached 215,919 vehicles in October, compared to 203,985 in October 2010.
Heading into Canada, 223,302 vehicles made the crossing compared to 212,836 a year ago.
“I think the numbers and the survey pretty much go hand in hand,” said Stan Korosec, Blue Water Bridge Canada’s VP of operations. “Things aren’t what they were a few years ago, but we’re slowly creeping up.”
Observer Article ID# 3363907
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