Canadian trucking businesses posted higher revenue but saw their operating profits slip in the second quarter, due to higher expenses, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.
Firms’ operating revenue rose 5.9% from the same quarter last year to C$10.5 billion, StatCan said.
A 7.7% increase in operating expenses outpaced revenue, yielding an operating profit drop of 8.3%, to C$1.03 billion.
Firms reported operating expenses of C$9.4 billion in the second quarter, up from $8.8 billion in the same quarter a year ago.
Rising fuel expenses — 19.4% higher from a year ago — helped drive the overall increase in expenses, StatCan said.
Smaller firms with annual revenue less than C$1.3 million led the decline. Fuel expenses represent a larger share of total expenses for small firms — 34%, compared with 17% for larger firms.