������ý

April 5, 2000 10:56 AM, EDT

Canadian truckers, like their U.S. counterparts, are continuing to feel the squeeze of higher fuel prices.

piking fuel prices are threatening “the livelihood of hundreds of independent owner-operators and the commercial viability of countless motor carriers,” said David Bradley, chief executive office of the Canadian Trucking Alliance. The high costs are beginning to have a significant effect on the Canadian economy, he said.

Trucking is important to Canada because “over 90% of all consumer products and foodstuffs, and over 70% of Canada’s trade with the United States — representing about 40% of the country’s GDP [gross domestic product] — move by truck,” Bradley said.

Statistics Canada’s latest figures show that fuel prices, including diesel, have risen 31.3% in the past year, the highest rate of increase since 1981. A 3.1% increase was registered in February alone.

For the full story, see the Apr. 3 print edition of Transport Topics. .