Canadian private fleets offered insight into private truck fleets' operations by releasing the fifth annual benchmarking survey. The survey was carried out by the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC) and was supported by National Private Truck Council (NPTC), based in the U.S. There were several things learned about private fleets. The insight includes the information below.

Among the sampled group, a majority of 82% stated that their main target on the market is how well customer service is handled. Therefore, the excellent customer experience was an aspect that attracted them to the private fleets' model of operation. Then 12% of the respondents cited achieving cost-effective operations while 6% cited safety benefits as their driving force.
On average, private fleets made a trade in their trucks after 6.6 years. The same was true for medium-duty and heavy-duty equipment. The medium-duty and heavy-duty units averaged distances of 443,778 km and 413,000 km respectively during trade-in. On the other hand, Bulk trailers lasted the longest, averaging at 17.5 years. Flat decks and van trailers were traded in after ten years and 6.8 years, respectively.

CHALLENGES

Like any other equipment, the survey indicated that maintenance was quite a challenge. The most recurrent challenges were common driver issues, safety issues, and equipment problems. The private fleets outsourced labor for the maintenance work, and just a little was done in-house. National Private Truck Council senior vice-president Tom Moore attributed the situation to the shortage of technically able technicians amongst their staff.

The survey indicated that driver turnover stood at 11.4% last year. Drivers who left either retired or got some other driving job. Moore stated that some private fleets were 'stealing' drivers from others. Despite most fleets opting for driving tests, reference, and criminal background checks, submission of driver abstracts had the final say in private fleets' recruitment.

BENEFITS

The drivers in the private fleets enjoyed a starting salary of $57,240 to a maximum of $84,916, amongst other benefits. In addition, the benefits include bereavement counseling, holidays, vision care, short-term disability, pensions, and medical and dental covers. However, these drivers spent two-thirds of their time behind the wheels.

Private fleets are heavily employing technology in the tracking of their trucks' activities. A majority of the fleets were reported to have invested in mechanisms to tackle any cybersecurity-related threats and even trained on the same. Safety is the best measure for the fleets to cut down on costs and run seamlessly.

Backhauls are slowly fading away in the private sector as most fleets handle their outbound loads. The fleets move their loads through hired carriers, third parties, and the rails. In addition, most of the private fleets have programs in place to help operate sustainably.