Multilateral relative efficiency levels in regional Canadian trucking.

Investigates the relative efficiency levels of regional trucking firms. The methodology applied and extended permits the consideration of the effect of various factors on relative efficiency levels. Specifically, it decomposes the relative efficiency differentials across firms and regions into the effects of factor prices, non-constant returns to scale, and operating characteristics which are specified in terms of capacity utilization of the available equipment, average length of haul and average shipment size. Findings are that (on average): 1) small firms exhibit a comparable efficiency level as large firms despite their scale disadvantage; 2) small firms exhibit superior (lower) levels of average cost.-from Author