Beyond the Wheel - Survey Technical Report - Canadian Trucking ...

BEYOND THE WHEEL
Survey Technical Report - 2012
Labour Market Information Study
Our mission: to assist the Canadian trucking industry to
recruit, train and retain the human resources needed
to meet current and long-term requirements.
This project is funded by the Government
of Canada’s Sector Council Program.

Acknowledgements
The Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council (CTHRC) wishes to express sincere appreciation for the contribution of representatives
from the carriers and fleets, professional associations, labour organizations, and independent professionals who contributed directly or
indirectly to this publication. The commitment to excellence of the many participants has made this report possible. Special acknowledgement
is extended to the Labour Market Information – 4 Project Advisory Committee who oversaw the project and CTHRC’s Provincial Labour
Market Information Networks who provided their technical expertise on this project.
Contact Information
Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council
203–720 Belfast Road
Ottawa, ON K1G 0Z5
Tel.: 613-244-4800 Fax: 613-244-4535
E-mail: info@cthrc.com
Internet: www.cthrc.com
Copyright © 2012 Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council (CTHRC)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any
means, including electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the Canadian Trucking Human
Resources Council.
Alternative Formats
This publication is available in electronic format on the Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council website at www.cthrc.com.
Disclaimer
The material in this report reflects the CTHRC’s best judgment in light of the information available to it at the time of preparation. Any use
that a third party makes of this report, or any reliance on or decisions to be made based on it, are the responsibility of such third parties.
The CTHRC accepts no responsibility for damages, if any, suffered by any third party as a result of decisions made or actions based on this
report. Information has been obtained by the CTHRC from sources believed to be reliable. However, because of the possibility of human
or mechanical error by our sources, the CTHRC does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of any of the information.
The author, publisher and contributors shall not be held liable in any degree for any loss or injury by an omission, error, misprint or ambiguity.
If you have any questions regarding the content of this publication, the CTHRC staff is available to provide information and assistance.
Printed in Canada.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction. ..................................................................................................................................................... 1
2. Survey Methodology. .................................................................................................................................. 2
2.1. Development of the Survey Instrument. ..................................................................................................... 2
2.2 Sample Development ................................................................................................................................... 2
2.2.1 Survey Administration ......................................................................................................................... 3
2.3 Survey Representation and Coverage of the Trucking Sector .................................................................. 4
3. Trucking Company Characteristics. ................................................................................................... 6
3.1 Type of Operator ............................................................................................................................................ 6
3.2 Primary Sector of Operation . ........................................................................................................................ 7
3.3 Distribution of Fleets ..................................................................................................................................... 8
3.4 Fleet Size . ......................................................................................................................................................10
3.5 Hauling Type . ................................................................................................................................................11
4. Workforce Profile. .......................................................................................................................................14
4.1 Total Employees ..........................................................................................................................................14
4.2 Employment in Key Occupations ..............................................................................................................16
4.3 Employee Demographics ..........................................................................................................................17
5. Industry Demand. ........................................................................................................................................20
5.1 Current Vacancies .......................................................................................................................................20
5.2 Retention .....................................................................................................................................................21
5.3 Future Workforce ........................................................................................................................................21
5.4 Recruitment ..................................................................................................................................................22
APPENDIX A: . ..........................................................................................................................................................23
Allied & Associated Trades Survey Technical Report. .........................................................................................23

1. Introduction
The Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council (CTHRC) has been in operation since January 1994. It is a
national organization governed by a Board of Directors that represents a variety of interests within the trucking industry. 1
The CTHRC was formed during a period of deregulation in the trucking industry and is committed to assisting the Canadian
trucking industry with their human resource needs and responding with research, training and advice.
The goal of this national survey is to augment the data in the CTHRC’s Labour Information Highway - Demand Data Tool by
filling in the data gaps. A survey of employers was completed with companies in the trucking sector and companies that
hire employees in Allied and Associated trades. The data collected through the survey will be used to:
••
provide sub-sector data (i.e., owner-operators, private, for-hire, large carriers, small carriers and metros (trucking hubs));
••
provide information about labour force characteristics;
••
update national, provincial and sub-sector ratios in the LMI Demand Forecasting Model, and
••
develop an HR Benchmarking Tool for carriers enabling them to enter their own company HR statistics and develop
forecasts using the variables and relationships developed in the LMI Demand Forecasting Model.
The results of the survey of trucking companies are presented in this report, with the results of Allied and Associated Trades
survey contained in Appendix A. The remainder of this report is organized as follows:
Section 2: Survey Methodology
Section 3: Trucking Company Characteristics
Section 4: Workforce Profile
Section 5: Industry Demand
1 http://www.cthrc.com/en/content/board-directors
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1

2. Survey Methodology
Several activities were completed for the survey component of the project. Each activity is described in the remainder of
this section.
2.1 Development of the Survey Instrument
The CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector was designed to collect information about the characteristics of the trucking sector
and its workforce. As part of the survey design, information on the nine key occupations in the trucking industry (separating
Truck Drivers by class and type) were included. These occupations included:
••
Company Truck Driver (Class 1/AZ);
••
Company Truck Driver (Class 3/D);
••
Owner/Operator Truck Driver (Class 1/AZ or 3/D);
••
Truck/Transport Mechanic (heavy duty);
••
Transport Trailer Technician (heavy duty);
••
Parts Technician (Parts Person);
••
Shunt Drivers (Class 1/AZ or 3D);
••
Cargo Worker;
••
Dispatcher;
••
Freight Claims/Safety & Loss Prevention Specialist, and
••
Foreman/Supervisor/Manager.
The survey consisted of four sections:
••
Your Organization (i.e., location, number of branches, number of power units 2 , type of operator, sector of operation,
and type of hauling);
••
Your Workforce (i.e., number of employees in each occupation and use of human resource personnel);
••
Retention of Workforce (i.e., staff turnover, difficulty filling occupations, and age profile of current employees), and
••
Future Workforce (i.e., expected growth).
To ensure the questionnaire was appropriate for employers in the trucking sector and Allied and Associated trades, it was
reviewed and pilot tested through a validation process. The validation process involved meetings with members of CTHRC’s
Provincial Labour Market Information Networks and members from the Allied and Associated trades. Adjustments were
made to the survey instrument as a result of the validation process, and the questionnaire was further tested through
rigorous in-house protocols to ensure accurate CallWeb-CATI programming of the survey instrument. The questionnaire was
made available in both French and English.
2.2 Sample Development
The majority of employers in the trucking sector are for-hire companies 3 and can be identified by North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS) 484 (Truck Transportation). However, there is also significant employment in industries for
which truck transportation is not the primary line of business (i.e., private carriers 4 ). Examples include fleets operated by
retail establishments for the transportation needs of their organization (e.g., Tim Hortons, Safeway, Canadian Tire,
McDonalds, etc.) as well as other service-providing and goods-manufacturing sectors.
To ensure a comprehensive sample frame was developed for the study, R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. included companies
from the CTHRC member database supplemented with a large sample of employers in the trucking and private sectors
from the InfoCanada database. All large and medium-sized trucking firms were included in the survey sample and
contacted to participate to help maximize coverage of the workforce (i.e., a census approach). A sample of small/micro
companies (with between 0 and 99 employees) was randomly selected within each province/territory with a goal of
obtaining a geographic representation of the industry proportional to the number of companies in each region.
2 The term power unit refers to the truck tractor that is the control and pulling vehicle for the trailer.
3 For hire carriers are those companies whose purpose is to transport freight for remuneration to destinations in domestic or international markets.
4 Private carriers consist of those companies whose principle occupation is not trucking, but has its own fleet of vehicles for transporting its own freight.
2 Beyond the Wheel

2.2.1 Survey Administration
The companies included in the sample frame had contact information. When an e-mail address was available, the initial
approach to all companies was delivery of an e-mail from CTHRC highlighting the value of the survey to the industry and
inviting participation. This introductory e-mail was followed with an e-mail containing an electronic link to an online survey
form. Companies were sent two e-mail reminders.
To supplement the e-mail invitation, all known medium-sized and large companies in the trucking sector were mailed a
paper copy of the questionnaire to complete and return via a business reply envelope (provided to respondents) or fax.
The consultant monitored completions and used telephone follow-up when possible to maximize the regional
representation of the completed surveys.
When an e-mail address was not available but a fax or telephone number was available, companies were faxed an
invitation to complete the questionnaire and contacted by telephone. The study was explained, and they were offered
the option of completion by telephone or by online survey. Hard-copy questionnaires was also an option to companies
that requested them.
Full survey administration by R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. commenced on October 3, 2011, and continued until
November 14, 2011. To boost the representation of Allied and Associated Trades in the survey results, Newcom
Business Media Inc. 5 provided a link to its members to complete the survey online. In addition, the consultant
monitored completions and used telephone follow-up when possible to maximize the regional representation of the
completed surveys.
A total of 1,078 surveys were completed through multiple modes (Table 1).
The majority of the survey respondents were companies that belonged to the trucking sector; 98% of total survey
respondents were trucking companies (n=1,057) and 2% (n=21) were companies in the Allied and Associated
Trades sectors.
Table 1: Mode of Survey Completion
Malatest
Mode of Completion
# Completions
Mail/Fax 9
Online 69
Telephone 941
Malatest Subtotal 1,019
NewCom
On-line 38
NewCom Subtotal 38
Total Carriers 1,057
Allied and Associated 21
Total Respondents 1,078
5 NewCom Business Media Inc. is one of Canada’s largest publishers of business to business magazines.
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3

2.3 Survey Representation and Coverage of the Trucking Sector
The geographic distribution of survey completions was similar to the distribution in the database of identified companies,
with a slightly higher representation of firms in Manitoba (Table 2).
Table 2: Geographical Distribution of Trucking Companies (Head Office)
Location
NAICS 484 Companies
(2010)
CTHRC Survey - Trucking Only
Count Percent Count Percent
Alberta 5,313 17% 174 16%
British Columbia 3,720 12% 121 11%
Manitoba 1,056 3% 130 12%
New Brunswick 1,002 3% 33 3%
Newfoundland and Labrador 293 1% 14 1%
Northwest Territories 25

Large and medium-sized companies are well represented in the final survey sample, as intended (Table 4). With the 2010
Industry Canada company list as the standard of comparison, the survey respondent sample included all (100%) large
trucking companies and 62% of medium-sized companies. In contrast, the final respondent sample contains only 3% of
the total number of small companies, as a result of under-sampling from the owner-operator segment of the industry.
Table 4: Coverage of Employers by Size (# Employees)
Company Size
(Employees)
Companies 2010 1 CTHRC Survey -
Trucking Companies
Count (n=30,733) Count (n=1,057) Percent Coverage
Small (0 – 99) 30,502 903 3%
Medium (100 – 499) 210 130 62%
Large (500+) 21 24 >100%
1 Source: Industry Canada 2010 – all employers in NAICS 484
The CTHRC survey of the trucking sector captured information about 106,535 employees, including 56,003 truck drivers,
collected from 1,057 trucking firms. The survey captured information for approximately 20% of all truck drivers in the sector.
Given the high coverage of large (>100%) and medium-sized (62%) trucking companies in the final survey sample, the
survey results present a fairly accurate overview of companies in the trucking sector with 100 or more employees. 6
However, caution should be used when viewing and interpreting the results for smaller firms. 7
6 Based on the 2006 Census data, there are a total of 304,895 truck drivers working in all sectors combined.
7 The sample error for the medium-sized companies is ±5.1% (at the 95% CI), a level considered acceptable for this type of research.
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5

3. Trucking Company Characteristics
The survey captured specific characteristics of companies in the trucking sector. These characteristics are presented in this
section.
3.1 Type of Operator
The majority (67%) of employers in the trucking sector are for-hire operators (Table 5). Almost one-quarter (23%) of the
companies are private operators. 8
Table 5: Type of Operator
Type of Operator Number of Companies % of Companies
For Hire Operator 708 67%
Private Operator 245 23%
Owner Operator 1 104 10%
Total 1,057 100%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA2
1 Operators who haul trailers or other equipment using their own trucks (either leased or owned)
As shown in Table 6, the majority of companies in all provinces are for-hire operators, with the highest saturation occurring
in Quebec (87%) and Saskatchewan (76%). The percentage of private carriers is similar in all provinces (24%-33%)
with the exception of Saskatchewan (12%) and Quebec (9%). The highest percentage of owner-operators is in
Manitoba (17%).
Table 6: Type of Operator by Region
Region
Number of Companies
For Hire Private Owner Operator
British Columbia (n=121) 66% 25% 9%
Alberta (n=175) 58% 29% 13%
Saskatchewan (n=41) 76% 12% 12%
Manitoba (n=130) 50% 33% 17%
Ontario (n=299) 68% 24% 8%
Quebec (n=206) 87% 9% 4%
Atlantic Canada (n=78) 59% 29% 12%
International (n=6) 33% 50% 17%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA2 and QA5; n=1,057. Rows do not sum to 100% as the “other” category is excluded from the table
8 Companies that maintain their own fleets of vehicles primarily for the transportation needs of their organization only.
6 Beyond the Wheel

3.2 Primary Sector of Operation
Of all trucking companies, most (51%) belong to the general freight/transportation and warehousing sector (Table 7).
Approximately one-third (34%) identify the general freight sector as the primary hauling sector 9 for which they move goods.
More than one-quarter of trucking companies haul freight for the construction sector (13%) or the resource sector (13%).
For the most part, the primary hauling sector aligns with the sector of operation (i.e., companies haul within their sector of
operation).
Table 7: Companies by Sector of Operation and Primary and Secondary Haul Sectors
Sector
Primary Sector of
Operation (n=1,057)
Primary Hauling Sector*
(n=1,006)
Secondary Hauling Sector**
(n=1,057)
General Freight 51% 34% 11%
Construction 9% 13% 8%
Resource Sector 9% 13% 7%
Haulers of Commodities 8% 10% 5%
Agriculture 6% 8% 5%
Wholesale/Retail Trade 4% 8% 4%
Manufacturing 3% 6% 5%
Utilities 2% 2% 2%
Other 10% 6% 2%
Total 100% 100% na
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA3; n=1,057
*Excludes Not applicable (n=51)
**53% of the sample did not identify a secondary hauling sector
As can be seen in Table 8, 41% of owner operators and 59% of for-hire operators haul for the general freight sector
compared to 34% of private carriers. Owner operators (20%) are slightly more likely than for-hire (5%) or private carriers
(17%) to haul for the construction sector. Private carriers (8%) are slightly more likely to haul for the wholesale/retail trade
sector than for-hire (2%) or owner operators (6%).
Table 8: Sector of Operation by Operator Type
Sector For Hire Operator Private Carrier Owner Operator
General Freight 59% 34% 41%
Construction 5% 17% 20%
Resource Sector 8% 10% 10%
Haulers of Commodities 8% 7% 8%
Agriculture 5% 7% 8%
Wholesale/Retail Trade 2% 8% 6%
Manufacturing 2% 4% 3%
Utilities 2% 2% 0%
Other 10% 10% 5%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA2 and QA3
9 Primary hauling sector refers to the sector from which the majority of the firm’s revenue from hauling is generated. The secondary haul sector generates the next highest
amount of revenue.
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7

3.3 Distribution of Fleets
Survey respondents were asked to identify the number of power units located in each province/territory where they
operated and in selected provincial trucking hubs. As presented in Table 9, companies in Ontario account for almost
one-third (30%) of all power units, followed by Alberta (17%) and Quebec (17%). All other provinces/territories account
for 11% or fewer of total power units.
Table 9: Distribution of Companies with Power Units by Province
Province # Power Units % Power Units
British Columbia 3,481 11%
Alberta 5,457 17%
Saskatchewan 1,948 6%
Manitoba 2,661 8%
Ontario 9,424 30%
Quebec 5,232 17%
New Brunswick 928 3%
Newfoundland and Labrador 504 2%
Nova Scotia 1,292 4%
Prince Edward Island 555 2%
Territories 12 < 1%
Total 31,494 100%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA8
Company location and fleet size were identified for provincial trucking hubs, as well. As Table 10 shows, there is wide
variation in the extent to which offices and fleets are located in these hubs. For example, Winnipeg, Manitoba, accounts for
a large proportion of offices (44%) and power units (54%) in the province. In British Columbia, a large proportion of the
offices (40%) and power units (47%) are located in the Lower Mainland area (which includes several provincial trucking
hubs). In contrast, Toronto, Ontario, accounts for 20% of offices and 32% of power units in the province.
8 Beyond the Wheel

Table 10: Distribution of Companies with Power Units by Provincial Trucking Hubs
Metropolitan Area # Companies % Companies
# Power Units in
the Area
% Power Units in
the Province
British Columbia - Lower Mainland 63 40% 1,620 47%
Alberta - Calgary 56 22% 1,381 25%
Alberta - Edmonton 73 28% 1,559 29%
Saskatchewan - Saskatoon 27 36% 711 36%
Saskatchewan - Regina 15 20% 244 13%
Manitoba - Winnipeg 71 44% 1,424 54%
Manitoba - Brandon 15 9% 54 2%
Ontario - Toronto 65 20% 2,987 32%
Quebec - Montreal 62 26% 1,617 31%
Quebec - Quebec City 35 14% 577 11%
New Brunswick - Moncton 9 21% 47 5%
Newfoundland and Labrador - St John’s 14 70% 158 31%
Nova Scotia - Halifax 10 31% 297 23%
Prince Edward Island - Charlottetown 4 29% 58 10%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA8
Companies in provincial trucking hubs are displayed according to their geographical distribution in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Geographical Distribution of Trucking Companies across Provincial Trucking Hubs
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA8
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9

3.4 Fleet Size
Approximately seven out of 10 survey respondents (69%)
operate fleets of 25 power units or fewer (Table 11). Only
15% of respondents operate large fleets of more than 50
power units. The average fleet size for all companies is 60
power units.
As summarized in Table 12, fleets located in Saskatchewan
and Ontario are more likely to include more than 50 power
units (24% and 19%, respectively) than fleets in other
provinces (10% to 15%). Small fleets predominate in
Manitoba, where 58% of respondents operate fewer than
10 power units.
Table 12: Fleet Size by Region
Table 11: Trucking Companies by Fleet Size
(# Power Units)
Number of Power
Units
Number of Companies %
Less than 10 458 43%
10 to 25 280 26%
26 to 50 156 15%
51 to100 89 8%
More than 100 72 7%
No Data 2 100
British Columbia (n=120) 48% 25% 12% 6% 9%
Alberta (n=174) 41% 25% 20% 8% 6%
Saskatchewan (n=41) 29% 29% 17% 7% 17%
Manitoba (n=130) 58% 23% 9% 5% 5%
Ontario (n=299) 33% 31% 16% 12% 7%
Quebec (n=206) 50% 24% 14% 8% 4%
Atlantic Canada (n=78) 46% 27% 14% 6% 6%
Territories (n=1) 100% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA7 and region by QA5
On average, companies in Atlantic Canada operate
184 power units apiece, the highest average number of
power units per company in the country. Saskatchewan
companies operate an average of 43 power units.
Companies in Ontario operate an average of 33 power
units, while the average number of power units per
company in Canada is 30 (Table 13). It is important to
note that the average number of power units is based on
responses from a relatively higher number of mediumsized
and large firms. Small firms and owner-operators
were under-represented in the survey.
Table 13: Average Number of Power Units per Company
by Province
Province
Average # Power Units per
Company
British Columbia 25
Alberta 25
Saskatchewan 43
Manitoba 24
Ontario 33
Quebec 24
Atlantic Canada 184
Territories 6
Canada 30
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA8
10 Beyond the Wheel

Comparing trucking hubs in the country (Table 14), companies located in Toronto operate the highest average number of
power units (46 units per company). The average number of power units per company in most other provincial trucking
hubs ranges from 20 to 30, with the exception of companies located in Charlottetown, PEI (15), Quebec City (16),
Regina, SK (16), St. John’s (11), Brandon, MB (4) and Moncton, NB (5).
Table 14: Average Number of Power Units for Companies in Selected Provincial Trucking Hubs
Provincial Trucking Hubs
British Columbia - Lower Mainland 26
Alberta - Calgary 25
Alberta - Edmonton 21
Saskatchewan - Saskatoon 26
Saskatchewan - Regina 16
Manitoba - Winnipeg 20
Manitoba - Brandon 4
Ontario - Toronto 46
Quebec - Montreal 26
Quebec - Quebec City 16
New Brunswick - Moncton 5
Newfoundland and Labrador - St John’s 11
Nova Scotia - Halifax 30
Prince Edward Island - Charlottetown 15
Average #
Power Units per Company
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA8
3.5 Hauling Type
Nearly two-thirds (62%) of trucking companies run short-haul 10 trips (Table 15). There is a fairly even split between
companies that offer cross-border hauling to the U.S. (47%) and companies that haul domestically only (53%).
Table 15: Survey Responses by Type of Hauling
Type of Hauling # of Companies %
Long Haul (more than 500km or more than one day) 393 37%
Short Haul (less than 500km or less than one day 648 62%
Cross Border Hauling (US) 486 47%
Domestic Only 555 53%
Total 1,041 100%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA4
10 Less than 500km or less than one day.
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11

As summarized in Table 16, private operators (25%) and owner-operators (24%) are similarly likely to do long-haul trips.
For-hire operators are most likely to do cross-border hauling to the U.S. (33%). Owner-operators are least likely to do long
haul trips (24%) or cross-border hauling (16%).
Table 16: Type of Hauling by Operator Type
Type of Company Long Haul Short Haul US Haul Domestic Haul
For Hire Carrier 309 44% 386 56% 232 33% 463 67%
Private Carrier 26 25% 77 75% 25 24% 78 76%
Owner Operator 58 24% 185 76% 39 16% 204 84%
Total 393 38% 648 62% 296 28% 745 72%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA2 and QA4
Smaller fleets of 25 or fewer power units are less likely to do long-haul trips than companies with fleets of more than 25
power units (Table 17). Of fleets with fewer than 25 power units, 34% do long-haul trips compared to 50% of companies
with larger fleets. Among larger fleets with more than 25 power units, 38% haul across the U.S. border compared to 26%
of fleets with fewer than 25 power units.
Table 17: Type of Hauling by Fleet Size
Fleet Size Long Haul Short Haul US Haul Domestic Haul
Less than 10 (n=464) 132 29% 319 71% 98 22% 353 78%
10 to 25 (n=290) 105 38% 169 62% 80 29% 194 71%
26 to 50 (n=159) 77 50% 77 50% 57 37% 97 63%
51 to100 (n=97) 45 51% 44 49% 33 37% 56 63%
More than 100 (n=81) 34 48% 37 52% 28 39% 43 61%
Total 393 38% 646 62% 296 28% 743 72%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA4 and QA7
Companies in the general freight sector are more likely to do long-haul trips (49%) and cross-border hauling (39%) than
companies in other sectors (Table 18). Companies in the construction sector are least likely to do long-haul trips (14%).
Construction (7%) and resource sector (9%) companies are least likely to do cross-border hauling.
12 Beyond the Wheel

Table 18: Type of Hauling by Sector of Operation
Sector Long Haul Short Haul Cross Border (US Haul) Domestic Haul
General Freight (n=533) 260 49% 273 51% 206 39% 327 61%
Wholesale/Retail Trade (n=40) 14 35% 26 65% 9 23% 31 78%
Manufacturing (n=27) 6 22% 21 78% 8 30% 19 70%
Resource Sector (n=88) 20 23% 68 77% 6 7% 82 93%
Construction (n=95) 13 14% 82 86% 9 9% 86 91%
Utilities (n=18) 5 28% 13 72% 2 11% 16 89%
Agriculture (n=59) 18 31% 41 69% 11 19% 48 81%
Haulers of Commodities
(n=81)
24 30% 57 70% 17 21% 64 79%
Other (n=100) 33 33% 67 67% 28 28% 72 72%
Total 393 38% 648 62% 296 28% 745 72%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA3 and QA4
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13

4. Workforce Profile
This section presents a profile of employees represented in the survey of employers.
4.1 Total Employees
Not surprisingly, considering the distribution of companies and power units, Ontario accounts for more employees in the
trucking sector (37%) than other provinces (Table 19), followed by BC (21%) and Alberta (12%). The highest average
number of employees per company occurs in British Columbia (154) and Ontario (114). 11
Table 19: Total Employees by Region
Region
Number of
Companies
Average Number
per Company
Total Number of
Employees
% of Employees
British Columbia 121 154 18,346 21%
Alberta 174 62 10,648 12%
Saskatchewan 41 69 2,848 3%
Manitoba 130 65 7,758 9%
Ontario 299 114 33,333 37%
Quebec 206 46 9,431 11%
Atlantic Canada 78 82 6,409 7%
Northern Canada 1 102 102 < 1%
International 7 27 190 < 1%
Total 1,057 86 89,065 100%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QB1a
Companies with fewer than 100 employees predominate in the trucking industry (Table 20), accounting for 85% of the
total. While these smaller companies account for the majority of the sample, they represent only 21% of the total
employees covered by the survey. In contrast, large companies with 500 or more employees represent only 2% of the
sample but account for 56% of the total number of employees. The remaining 24% of employees work for medium-sized
companies(100 to 199 employees), which account for 12% of the total survey sample.
Table 20: Employees by Size of Company
Size of Company Number of Companies Number of Employees
Small (0-99) 903 85% 22,049 21%
Medium (100-499) 130 12% 25,297 24%
Large (500+) 24 2% 59,189 56%
Total 1,057 100% 106,535 100%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA8
Note that sums may not equal 100% due to rounding
11 There is a company in BC with 14,000 employees (highest for any company) and Atlantic Canada has two companies with roughly 2,000 each.
14 Beyond the Wheel

For-hire operators account for 67% of employees in the survey (Table 21). Private carriers and owner-operators
account for 32% and 1% of employees, respectively. The average number of employees per company is lowest among
owner-operators (10). Private carriers employ the highest average number (121).
Table 21: Total Employees by Type of Operator
Type of Operator
Average Number of
Employees per Company
Total Number of Employees
% of Employment
For Hire Operator 84 59,377 67%
Owner Operator 10 883 1%
Private Carriers 121 28,805 32%
Total 72 89,065 100%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA2 and QB1
Companies with more than 100 power units account for 24% of total employment in the industry (Table 22). Fleets with
10 to 25 power units account for 12%. On average, the largest fleets (i.e., more than 100 power units) employ an average
of 603 people. Contrary to expectations, fleets of 10 to 25 employ more people (78 employees), on average, than fleets of
26 to 50 (59 employees).
Table 22: Employees by Fleet Size
Number of Power Units
Average Number of
Employees per Company
Total Employees
% of Employment
Less than 10 15 6,395 4%
10 to 25 78 21,478 12%
26 to 50 59 9,225 5%
51 to 100 96 8,517 24%
More than 100 603 43,442 50%
Total/Overall Average 87 89,057 100%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA2 and QB1
Of the total workforce, the majority of employees (58%) work for firms that do short hauls, and 49% of truck drivers are
employed by short-haul companies (Table 23).
Table 23: Employees by Type of Hauling
Type of Hauling Average per Company Total Employees % of Employment
Long Haul 92 35,248 39%
Short Haul 82 51,492 58%
Cross Border Hauling 110 31,775 36%
Domestic Only 76 54,965 62%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA4 and QB1
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15

4.2 Employment in Key Occupations
Not surprisingly, drivers account for the majority (73%) of employees in trucking companies. The remaining 27% of
employees directly support truck drivers (Table 24). Almost half (47%) of company truck drivers hold a Class 1/AZ licence
(excluding owner-operator drivers, of whom 22% hold a class 1/AZ licence). Almost two-thirds of companies (60%)
employ a dispatcher.
Table 24: Employees by Occupation/Group
Truck Occupations
Type of Operator
Average Number of
Employees per Company
Total Number of
Employees
% of Employment
Company Truck Drivers (Class 1/AZ) 37 35,689 47%
Company Truck Drivers (Class 3/D) 12 3,115 4%
Owner/Operator Truck Drivers 39 17,199 22%
Shunt Drivers (Class 1/AZ or 3/D) 78 6,090 8%
Cargo Workers 23 3,275 4%
Dispatchers 4 2,640 3%
Freight Claims/Safety & Loss Prevention
Specialists
2 596 1%
Foreman/Supervisor/Manager 5 3,250 4%
Allied and Associated Trades Occupations
Truck/Transport Mechanic 6 2,960 4%
Transport Trailer Technician 6 609 1%
Parts Technicians/Parts Person 3 334

4.3 Employee Demographics
In a male-dominated sector, it is not surprising to find that only 4% of workers in the trucking industry are women.
However, female employment varies considerably among the key occupations. While females account for fewer than 5%
of drivers (including shunt drivers), as well as mechanics, transport trailer technicians and cargo workers, they account for
25% of freight claims/safety & loss prevention specialists, 13% of parts technicians/parts persons, and 19% of dispatchers
(Table 26).
Table 26: Women in the Workforce by Occupation
Occupation Total Employees # Women % Women
Company truck drivers (class 1/AZ) 35,689 1,208 3%
Owner/operator truck drivers (include total number of drivers) 17,199 631 4%
Shunt drivers (Class1/AZ or 3D) 6,090 22

Table 28: Women in the Workforce by Operator Type
Type of operator # Women % Women
For Hire Operator 2,611 85%
Owner Operator 38 1%
Private Operator 413 13%
Total 3,062 100%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA2 and QC3
In terms of age, 64% of the industry’s workforce is between the ages of 30 and 54 years (Table 29). With the exception of
shunt drivers, truck drivers tend to be 45 years old or older. Among truck drivers, 31% of owner-operators are in the
youngest age group (30 years and younger) compared to Class 3/D drivers (20%) and Class 1/AZ drivers (13%).
Cargo workers are the youngest employees, with 51% aged 30 or younger.
Table 29: Employee Age Profile by Occupation
Occupation
Total
Employees
30 years
and under
31 to
44 years
45 to
54 years
55 years
and over
Company truck drivers (class 1/AZ) 35,689 13% 30% 36% 22%
Company truck drivers (class 3/D) 3,115 20% 40% 27% 12%
Owner/operator truck drivers 17,199 31% 20% 27% 22%
Shunt drivers (class 1/AZ or 3D) 6,090 1% 89% 8% 1%
Truck/transport mechanic 2,960 23% 33% 35% 9%
Foreman/supervisor/manager 3,250 15% 39% 34% 12%
Freight claims/safety & loss prevention
specialists
596 12% 38% 33% 16%
Dispatchers 2,640 16% 46% 29% 10%
Transport trailer technician 609 26% 37% 26% 11%
Parts technicians/parts person 334 16% 45% 32% 7%
Cargo workers 3,275 51% 26% 19% 4%
Total 75,757 19% 34% 30% 17%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QC3; Excludes employees in occupations outside the key trucking-related occupations (e.g., general labourers, administrative
staff, accounts, etc.) Therefore the totals in the table do not equal 100% and are lower than the total number of employees covered by the survey.
The employee age of owner-operators, for-hire operators and private carriers was similar for all age categories (Table 30).
Table 30: Employee Age Profile by Type of Operator
Type of Operator
30 years
and under
31 to
44 years
45 to
54 years
55 years
and over
For Hire Operator 19% 34% 29% 18%
Owner Operator 15% 39% 30% 17%
Private Carrier 16% 34% 33% 16%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA2 and QC3
18 Beyond the Wheel

The distribution of employees by age group for small and medium-sized companies is similar, with most employees falling
between the ages of 30 and 55 (Table 31). Large companies tend to attract younger employees: 23% of the employees
in large companies are 30 years or younger compared to 15% in medium-sized and 13% in small companies.
Table 31: Employee Age Profile by Size of Company
Size of Company
30 years
and under
31 to
44 years
45 to
54 years
55 years
and over
Small (0-99) 13% 38% 32% 17%
Medium (100-499) 15% 35% 33% 16%
Large (500+) 23% 31% 28% 18%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QB1a and QC3
The youngest employees in trucking-related occupations work in the general freight sector, where 58% are under 45 years
of age (Table 32). The oldest employees work in manufacturing and commodities hauling, where 58% are 45 or older.
Table 32: Employee Age Profile by Occupation
Sector
Total
Employees
30 years
and under
30 to
44 years
45 to
54 years
55 years
and over
General Freight 40,514 22% 36% 25% 18%
Wholesale/Retail Trade 8,743 19% 26% 38% 18%
Manufacturing 2,856 12% 30% 36% 22%
Resource Sector 7,004 17% 30% 38% 15%
Construction 2,557 16% 35% 35% 13%
Utilities 561 18% 37% 26% 19%
Agriculture 2,314 16% 31% 30% 23%
Haulers of Commodities 6,509 11% 31% 42% 16%
Other 3,199 13% 40% 30% 17%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA3 and QC3
Beyond the Wheel
19

5. Industry Demand
This section examines industry demand for employees and covers the following issues:
••
Current vacancies;
••
Employee turnover/retention;
••
Future demand; and
••
Recruitment.
5.1 Current Vacancies
Survey respondents were asked to provide the current number of unfilled positions in each occupation group covered by
the survey. Three in ten (30%) companies reported at least one unfilled position in a key occupational group within their
company. Respondents reported a total of 3,764 unfilled positions among all employers (Table 33).
The largest vacancy rates occur in driving occupations: truck drivers, and particularly company truck drivers with a
class 1/AZ licence, account for 46% of all unfilled positions.
Table 33: Unfilled Positions by Occupation
Driving Occupations
Type of Occupation
# Unfilled
Positions
% Unfilled
Positions
Company Truck Drivers (Class 1/AZ) 1,747 46%
Owner/Operator Truck Drivers 1,234 33%
Company Truck Drivers (Class 3/D) 134 4%
Shunt Drivers (Class 1/AZ or 3/D) 21 1%
Non-Driver Occupations
Dispatchers 59 2%
Cargo Workers 55 1%
Freight Claims/Safety & Loss Prevention Specialists 21 1%
Foreman/Supervisor/Manager 50 1%
Allied and Associated Trades
Truck/Transport Mechanic 197 5%
Transport Trailer Technician 37 1%
Parts Technicians/Parts Person 2

The survey population identified a total of 3,178 unfilled positions in the trucking industry (Table 34). The majority of these
unfilled positions (27%) are in Alberta.
Table 34: Top Unfilled Positions by Province – Trucking
Region
Company Truck Drivers
(Class 1/AZ)
Owner/Operator
Truck Drivers (include total
number of drivers)
Truck/Transport
Mechanic
Alberta 468 27% 299 24% 94 48%
British Columbia 179 10% 158 13% 16 8%
Manitoba 386 22% 66 5% 14 7%
Ontario 403 23% 216 18% 31 16%
Quebec 122 7% 63 5% 16 8%
Saskatchewan 144 8% 163 13% 19 10%
Atlantic Canada 45 3% 269 22% 7 4%
Total 1,747 100% 1,234 100% 197 100%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QA5 and QB2
5.2 Retention
Employee retention was addressed by estimating the turnover rate from information provided about employee leaving
patterns, specifically those who leave the company within 12 months of employment and those who leave after 12 months
of employment. The following calculation was used to determine the average turnover rate:
Average turnover rate =
Sum of job separations
Sum of total employees
The estimated turnover rate for employees who worked for a trucking company for less than 12 months was 7%, on
average. For those employed with a company for more than 12 months, the turnover rate decreased to 5%.
5.3 Future Workforce
Survey respondents were asked to estimate the expected
change in labour force demand in the trucking sector over
the next 12 months and over the next five years.
Respondents were fairly evenly split about whether and how
their company’s labour force demand would change over the
next 12 months: 46% said there would be no change, and
43% expected demand to increase. Five percent (5%)
expected a decrease in demand, and 6% didn’t know.
Approximately one-third (31%) said demand would increase
by as much as 10% over the next 12 months (Table 35).
About one in 10 (11%) expected the increase to be larger
(i.e., more than 11%).
Table 35: Expected Labour force Demand (12 months out)
Amount of Growth Count Percent
No Change 507 46%
Increase (1% to 5%) 179 17%
Increase (6% to 10%) 156 14%
Increase (11% to 15%) 36 3%
Increase (15%+) 84 8%
Decrease (1% to 5%) 12 1%
Decrease (6% to 10%) 6 1%
Decrease (11% to 15%) 4 1%
Decrease (15%+) 25 2%
Don’t know 68 6%
Total* 1,077 100%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QD1a, b;
Excludes cases with missing information
Beyond the Wheel
21

Beyond the next 12 months, companies expect
greater demand for employees. Almost half
(45%) expect labour force demand to increase
over the next five years, 26% expect demand to
stay the same and 5% expect it to decrease.
Twenty-one percent (21%) could not provide an
answer. Asked to quantify the increase or
decrease in labour force demand, only 68% of
respondents who indicated a change in demand
provided an answer (n=526). Table 36 shows
that 57% of these companies expect an increase
in labour market demand of 10% or less.
5.4 Recruitment
Table 36: Expected Change in Labour Force Demand (5 years out)
Amount of Growth Count Percent
Increase (1% to 5%) 162 31%
Increase (6% to 10%) 135 26%
Increase (11% to 15%) 49 9%
Increase (15%+) 128 24%
Decrease (1% to 5%) 14 3%
Decrease (6% to 10%) 5 1%
Decrease (11% to 15%) 5 1%
Decrease (15%+) 28 5%
Total 526 100%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QD2a
Survey respondents were asked to rate their degree of difficulty in filling vacancies in trucking and related occupations.
Almost six in 10 (59%) said it is difficult/very difficult to fill vacancies for Class 1/AZ truck drivers, and 52% said it was
difficult/very difficult to find owner-operators. Almost half (48%) had difficulty filling positions for Class 3/D drivers
(Figure 2). The difficulty in recruiting for these types of positions offers one reason why there are more vacancies in driving
occupations than in other occupations in the industry and why there is a shortage of drivers in the trucking sector. Other
difficult positions to fill include transport trailer technicians (68%) and truck/transport mechanics (53%). Both occupations
belong to the Allied and Associated trades.
Truck drivers, mostly company truck drivers with a class 1/AZ licence, account for the greatest percentage of unfilled
positions in the industry and are reported to be the most difficult occupations to fill.
Figure 2: Degree of Difficulty Filling Positions by Occupation
17% 25% 59%
27% 25% 48%
29% 19% 52%
28% 13% 60%
27% 20% 53%
19% 13% 68%
31% 11% 58%
30% 9% 61%
31% 11% 58%
25% 14% 61%
30% 13% 57%
Source: 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector QC2; total may not sum to exactly to100% due to rounding
22 Beyond the Wheel

Appendix A:
Allied and Associated Trades
Survey Technical Report
Beyond the Wheel
23

Table of Contents
1. Introduction. ...................................................................................................................................................25
2. Survey Methodology. ................................................................................................................................26
2.1. Development of the Survey Instrument. ...................................................................................................26
2.2 Sample Development .................................................................................................................................26
2.2.1 Survey Administration .......................................................................................................................27
2.3 Respondent Characteristics ........................................................................................................................27
2.4 Employer Sector. ...........................................................................................................................................27
3. Workforce Profile. .......................................................................................................................................29
3.1 Employment in Key Occupations ..............................................................................................................29
3.2 Employee Demographics ...........................................................................................................................30
4. Industry Demand. ........................................................................................................................................32
4.1 Current Vacancies .......................................................................................................................................32
4.2 Retention ......................................................................................................................................................33
4.3 Recruitment .................................................................................................................................................33
24 Beyond the Wheel

1. Introduction
The Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council (CTHRC) has been in operation since January 1994. It is a national
organization governed by a Board of Directors that represents a variety of interests within the trucking industry. 1 The CTHRC
was formed during a period of de-regulation in the trucking industry and is committed to the development of the Canadian
trucking industry by supporting human resource needs and responding with research, training, and advice.
The CTHRC is currently conducting the Labour Market Information (LMI) Project, the goal of which is to enable the CTHRC
to provide complete, accurate and timely forecasts/projections for key trucking occupations. A survey (CTHRC Survey of the
Trucking Sector) of employers was completed with companies in the trucking sector and companies who hire employees in
allied and associated trades to collect information about their current workforce, and projected workforce needs. The
majority of survey respondents were companies in the trucking sector as few responses were obtained from companies in
the allied and associated trades sector. In order to provide an accurate and representative evaluation of the current
occupations within the industry an additional survey was conducted that targeted companies in the allied and associated
trades (Allied and Associated Trades Survey).
Organizations in the allied and associated trades employ individuals who, while not directly employed by the truck
transportation firms, provide critical support to the trucking sector. In general, companies in the allied and associated trades
employ individuals in the following occupations: truck/transport mechanic, transport trailer technician, and parts technician.
The information obtained from this study was used to provide additional information as to the employment characteristics
of workers in these “support” sectors. Originally this information was to be collected by the CTHRC Survey of the Trucking
Sector, however, due to limited responses to the survey (only 25 completions), the CTHRC commissioned R.A. Malatest &
Associates Ltd. to complete a separate survey of allied and associated trade employers, with the goal of obtaining 200
survey completions. Information from this survey was subsequently incorporated into the HR Benchmarking Tool developed
as part of the LMI Project.
The results of the Allied and Associated Trades Survey are presented in this report. Detailed information on worker
characteristics can be accessed via the CTHRC LMI tool (http://stg.cthrc.com/lih/en/). The remainder of this report is
organized as follows:
Section 2: Survey Methodology
Section 3: Workforce Profile
Section 4: Industry Demand
1 Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council. (2010). Retrieved February 20, 2012 from CTHRC Web Site: http://www.cthrc.com/en/content/about-us
Beyond the Wheel
25

2: Survey Methodology
Several activities were completed for the survey component of the project. Each activity is described in the remainder of
this section.
2.1 Development of the Survey Instrument
The CTHRC Survey of the Allied and Associated Trades was designed to collect information about the characteristics of this
sector and their workforce. As part of the survey design, information on the three key occupations was identified for
inclusion in the study:
••
Truck/Transport Mechanic (heavy duty): Inspect, test, diagnose and repair truck and truck-tractor engines and other
key operating systems.
••
Transport Trailer Technician (heavy duty): Repair, overhaul, inspect and maintain the suspension, brake and electrical
systems on trailers.
••
Parts Technicians (Parts Person): Responsible for ordering, warehousing, inventory control and sales of parts.
The survey consisted of three sections:
••
Your Organization (i.e., classification and location);
••
Your Workforce (i.e., number of employees in each occupation); and
••
Retention of Workforce (i.e., staff turnover, difficulty filling occupations, and age profile of current employees).
To ensure the questionnaire was appropriate for employers in the allied and associated trades; it was reviewed and pilot
tested through a validation process. The validation process involved six meetings with members of Provincial Labour Market
Networks and members from the Allied and Associated Trades. Adjustments were made to the survey instrument as a
result of the validation process, and the questionnaire was further tested through rigorous in-house protocols to ensure
accurate CallWeb-CATI programming of the survey instrument. The questionnaire was made available in both French and
English. A copy of the finalized survey instrument is provided in Appendix A.
2.2 Sample Development
The sample included all companies in the allied and associated trades from the first survey (Survey of the Trucking Sector)
and a new sample that targeted only companies in the allied and associated trades across Canada.
The majority of companies in the allied and associated trades can be identified by the Standard Industrial Classification
Codes (SIC) 37 (Transportation Equipment Manufacturing).
To ensure a comprehensive sample frame was developed for the study, R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. included companies
from the CTHRC member database and a large sample of employers in the allied and associated trades sectors from the
InfoCanada database (using the SIC codes).
The SIC codes and specific types of businesses included in the sample were:
••
371109 - Truck-Manufacturers
••
371410 - Truck Equipment & Parts-Manufacturers
••
3715 - Truck Trailers (Manufacturers)
••
379901 - Manufacturers-Trailers
••
379908 - Trailers-Equipment & Parts-Manufacturers
••
753812 - Truck-Repairing & Service
••
753813 - Trailers-Repairing & Service
26 Beyond the Wheel

2.2.1 Survey Administration
All companies included in the sample frame had contact information. In order to maximize the representativeness of the
completed surveys by region, companies were contacted by telephone during business hours. The study was explained and
company personnel were invited to complete the survey by telephone.
Full survey administration by R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. commenced on April 17, 2012 and continued until April 24,
2012. A total of 231 surveys were completed, which was greater than the initial target of 200 completions.
2.3 Respondent Characteristics
A key requirement of the study was to ensure that there was sufficient representation from each province and/or region in
Canada to support the development of workforce probes at either the provincial and/or sub-sector level. In this context, one
goal was to obtain a minimum of 20 completions for most provinces, with the exception of the smaller Atlantic Provinces in
which there are relatively few employers. As highlighted in Table 1, there was a minimum of 20 employer responses for
each province with the exception of PEI (10 employer responses) and Newfoundland and Labrador (5 employer
responses).
Table A1: Geographical Distribution of Allied and Associated Trades Companies (Head Office)
Location
CTHRC Survey – Allied and Associated Trades
Count
Percent
Alberta 28 12%
British Columbia 21 9%
Manitoba 20 9%
New Brunswick 19 8%
Newfoundland and Labrador 5 2%
Nova Scotia 21 9%
Ontario 40 17%
Prince Edward Island 10 4%
Quebec 44 19%
Saskatchewan 22 10%
Other 1

Table A2: Employer Sector by Region
Region
Employer Sector
Trailer Sales, Service
and Leasing
Truck and Trailer
Manufacturer
Truck Sales, Services,
and Leasing
British Columbia (n=26) 15% 4% 81%
Alberta (n=20) 5% 0 95%
Manitoba (n=19) 11% 5% 84%
New Brunswick (n=19) 16% 0 84%
Newfoundland and Labrador (n=5) 20% 0 80%
Nova Scotia (n=21) 19% 0 81%
Ontario (n=39) 8% 0 92%
Prince Edward Island (n=10) 3% 1% 6%
Quebec (n=42) 21% 7% 71%
Saskatchewan (n=21) 10% 10% 81%
Source: Allied and Associated Trades 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector & 2012 CTHRC
Survey of the Allied and Associated Trades QA2 and QA5; N=231
28 Beyond the Wheel

3: Workforce Profile
A profile of employees from companies in the allied and associated trades that participated in the survey is contained in this
section.
3.1 Employment in Key Occupations
Truck/transport mechanics accounted for almost two-thirds (60%) of employees in the allied and associated trades.
The remaining employees were split between transport trailer technicians (23%) and parts technicians (17%) (Table 3).
Table A3: Employees by Occupation/Group
Occupation
Allied and Associated Trades Occupations
Average #
Employees per
Occupation per
Company
Total Employees
per Occupation
% of Total Allied
and Associated
Workforce
Truck/Transport Mechanic 10 2195 60%
Transport Trailer Technician 4 827 23%
Parts Technician (Parts Person) 3 627 17%
Source: Allied and Associated Trades 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector & 2012 CTHRC Survey of the Allied and Associated Trades QB2; n=3,649 .
Total number of companies N=231
Based on the three occupations of interest, survey results indicate that the majority of companies (74%) in the allied and
associated trades employed apprentices. As presented in Table 4, the companies in the survey employed 716 apprentices.
The most common type of apprenticeship was for truck/transport mechanics, which accounted for 84% of the total
apprentice employment in the industry.
Table A4: Apprentice Employment
Occupation
% of Companies
that Employ
Apprentices
Total Apprentices
Employed
% of Apprentices
Employed
Average Employed
per Firm
Truck/Transport Mechanic 59% 601 84% 4
Transport Trailer Technician 7% 58 8%

3.2 Employee Demographics
The survey collected data to explore the age and gender profile of employees from the allied and associated trades sector.
Given that the trucking industry is male-dominated, it is not surprising to find that the proportion of female workers in the
allied and associated trades was low at 5% (Table 5). There was some variation in female employment among the three
allied and associated trades occupations examined. Females accounted for almost one quarter of all parts technicians
(21%), however they accounted for only 2% of transport trailer technicians, and less than 1% of truck/transport mechanics.
Table AA5: Women in the Workforce by Occupation
Occupation Total Employees # Women
% Share of Female
Workforce
Truck/transport mechanic 2195 19

Table A7: Employee Age Profile by Occupation
Occupation
Total Employees
30 years and
under
31 to 44 years 45 to 54 years
55 years and
over
Truck/transport mechanic 2177 29% 38% 22% 11%
Transport trailer technician 315 27% 43% 18% 12%
Parts technician (parts person) 685 24% 41% 23% 13%
Total 3177 28% 39 % 22% 11%
Source: Allied and Associated Trades 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector & 2012 CTHRC Survey of the Allied and Associated Trades QC3; Some respondents were
unable to complete this section of the survey therefore the total number of employees is lower than the total number of employees covered in other sections of the survey.
For all three sectors almost two-thirds of their workforce was between the ages of 31-54 (Trailer Sales, Services and Leasing
60%, Truck and Trailer Manufacturer 65%, Truck Sales, Service and Leasing 62%) (Table 8). While both the trailer sales,
services and leasing, and the truck and trailer manufacturer sectors had a similar proportion of employees younger than 44
years (70%, 74%) and older than 45 years (30%, 26%), the truck and trailer manufacturing sector had fewer employees
under the age of 44 years (62%) and more employees over the age of 45 years (38%).
Table A8: Employee Age Profile by Employer Sector
Employer Sector 30 years and under 31 to 44 years 45 to 54 years 55 years and over
Trailer Sales, Services and Leasing 31% 39% 21% 9%
Truck and Trailer Manufacturer 27% 47% 18% 8%
Truck Sales, Service and Leasing 23% 39% 23% 15%
Source: Allied and Associated Trades 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector & 2012 CTHRC
Survey of the Allied and Associated Trades QA2 and QC3
N=3148*
*The total N does not include employees in occupations outside allied and associated trades (E.g. other employer sector). Therefore the N used to calculate the above table is
lower than the total employees (N= 3,649) previously reported.
Beyond the Wheel
31

4: Industry Demand
This section examines industry demand for employees, based on the responses provided by the companies represented in
the Allied and Associated Trades Survey. The following issues are examined:
••
Current vacancies;
••
Employee turnover/retention; and
••
Recruitment.
4.1 Current Vacancies
Survey respondents were asked to provide the current number of unfilled positions in each of the three occupation groups
covered by the survey. Almost two-thirds (64%) of the companies surveyed reported at least one unfilled position in an
allied and associated trades occupation within their company; there was a total of 359 unfilled positions among all
employers (Table 9).
The estimated vacancy rate was highest for the transport trailer technician occupation, where vacancies represented
approximately 10% of all positions. The estimate vacancy rates for both truck/transport mechanics (9%) and parts
technicians (7%) were below that of transport trailer technicians. 2
Table A9: Unfilled Positions by Occupation
Type of Occupation # Unfilled Positions Vacancy Rate
Truck/Transport Mechanic 218 9%
Transport Trailer Technician 96 10%
Parts Technicians (Parts Person) 45 7%
Total 359 9%
Source: Allied and Associated Trades 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector & 2012 CTHRC
Survey of the Allied and Associated Trades QB2
When examining the vacancy rate by province (10), it is apparent that the estimated vacancy rate was highest across all
three occupations in Newfoundland and Labrador (Truck/Transport Mechanic 30%, Transport Trailer Technician 56%, Parts
Technicians 20%) and Manitoba (Truck/Transport Mechanic 20%, Transport Trailer Technician 52%, Parts Technician 15%).
The lowest estimate vacancy rate for transport trailer technicians occurred in New Brunswick (6%), for transport trailer
technicians in Alberta (2%) and Ontario (2%), and for parts technicians in British Columbia (2%).
2 Vacancy Rate was calculated as #of vacant positions/ (# of vacant positions + # of filled positions)
32 Beyond the Wheel

Table A10: Vacancy Rate by Province –Allied and Associated Trades
Region
Truck/Transport Mechanic
Transport Trailer
Technician
Parts Technician/Parts
Person
Alberta 53 11% 1 2% 12 9%
British Columbia 14 8% 3 18% 1 2%
Manitoba 26 20% 12 52% 5 15%
New Brunswick 7 6% 2 14% 1 3%
Newfoundland and Labrador 9 30% 5 56% 2 20%
Nova Scotia 16 11% 4 15% 3 5%
Ontario 19 10% 1 2% 4 10%
Prince Edward Island 8 20% 1 50% 1 6%
Quebec 31 12% 64 13% 6 6%
Saskatchewan 35 15% 3 17% 10 12%
Total 218 9% 96 10% 45 7%
Source: Allied and Associated Trades 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector & 2012 CTHRC Survey of the Allied and Associated Trades QA5 and QB2
Note: Provincial data should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample sizes.
4.2 Retention
Employee retention was explored by estimating the turnover rate from information provided in the survey about employee
leaving patterns, specifically those who leave the company within 12 months of employment and those who leave after
12 months of employment. The following calculation was used to determine the average turnover rate:
Average turnover rate =
Sum of job separations
Sum of total employees 3
The estimated turnover rate for employees who had worked for an allied and associated trades company for less than
12 months was 11%, on average. For those employed with an allied and associated trades company for more than
12 months, the turnover rate decreased slightly to 7%.
4.3 Recruitment
Survey respondents were asked to rate the degree of difficulty for their company in filling vacancies in the three allied and
associated trades related occupations. Results suggested that for all three allied and associated trades’ occupations
recruitment is difficult (Figure 1). Close to three-quarters of allied and associated trade companies reported that it is difficult/
very difficult to fill vacancies in truck/transport mechanic (82%) and in transport trailer technician (74%). More than half
(52%) had difficulty in filling positions for parts technicians. The difficulty in recruiting for these positions could be one
reason for the high rate (64%) of allied and associated trade companies that reported at least one unfilled position (Section
4.1). This suggests that there is a current shortage of workers in allied and associated trade occupations, due to the difficulty
in filling these positions.
3 Leavers and terminations
Beyond the Wheel
33

Figure A1: Degree of Difficulty Filling Positions by Occupation
82%
Truck/Transport Mechanic
5%
13%
74%
Transport Trailer Technician
8%
18%
52%
Parts Technicians/Parts Person
20%
29%
Difficult/Very Difficult Somewhat difficult Not at all difficult
Source: Allied and Associated Trades 2011 CTHRC Survey of the Trucking Sector & 2012 CTHRC Survey of the Allied and Associated Trades QC2; total may not sum to exactly
to100% due to rounding
34 Beyond the Wheel