On an interprovincial basis, commodities hauled by private and for-hire fleets are very similar. The private fleets are not as likely to have their vehicles as fully loaded as for-hire fleets. This reflects the shorter haul distances typical of the private fleets and the fact that they are less likely to have a backhaul due to the nature of their operations. Both private and for-hire fleets are essentially the same with respect to the number of shipments per truckload. The majority of trips carry only one shipment per truckload, as would be expected.
Private fleets are more likely to use company drivers than for-hire carriers.
Industry observers have an impression that private fleets make more use of these drivers than for-hire fleets. Overall, private fleets are more likely to use shorter trailers on interprovincial movements than for-hire carriers. This is in keeping with the private fleets higher use of straight trucks. This is in keeping with the private fleet usage of smaller vehicles in general. The use of the 53 foot trailer is expected to increase in future years as fleets replace their older trailers.