Publicly traded trucking companies may finally get the stock market respect they deserve

Canada's publicly traded trucking companies may very well be the Rodney Dangerfields of the investment industry. It seems that no matter how strong their revenue growth or profit margins, they get no respect from the stock markets. But every underdog eventually has its day, and there's good reason to believe next vear is when carriers such as Clarke, Contrans, Mullen and Transforce will have theirs.

"I'm sure they're frustrated as hell Nvith the way their stocks are perforating," says Harold Wolkin, an analyst from investment firm Nesbitt Burns, but there are several reasons why Canada's publicly traded carriers have been out of favor with the markets.

To begin Nvith, the Toronto Stock Exchange has performed poorly in comparison to U.S. markets and transportation stocks have been underperforming on both sides of the border.

"When you get this kind of underperformance You tend to get fund managers leaving the sector and putting their money elsewhere," Wolkin told carriers at the Ontario Trucking Association's annual convention. "But you should not feel badly. Money is leaving -,virtually...