The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that the Canadian trucking industry faces a shaky market as cargo volumes and rates fall. A Canadian Press dispatch to the Globe says that the industry shed more than 20,500 driver jobs, or 7 per cent of the work force, in the first three months of this year, according to a Trucking HR report. "As the economy has essentially softened a little bit, so has demand for trucking services," said Craig Faucette, chief programs officer at the trade group. Canadians continue to shell out on services ranging from airfare to fine food, but their craving for items shipped in a box has fallen. Inflation and rising interest rates have further cooled consumer demand. Hardest hit is the spot market, those not covered by longer-term contracts. Big truckers rely on less-than-truckload businesses, too. TFI International, the Montreal trucking giant with more than 25,000 employees, gleans nearly half of its revenue from the segment. "Our Canadian LTL revenue is down big-time," chief executive officer Alain Bedard told analysts Aug. 1, adding that the unexpected dip is not unique to that division. Total revenues plunged 22 per cent in the first half of 2023 compared with a year earlier.