DTA - Freight Analysis

Our History

Legend has it that two men returned to Canada from overseas after the First World War and established a business in Toronto offering to audit already paid freight bills. They called themselves the Dominion Traffic Association.

Times were different then and transportation costs were part of the government public policy. Trucking was a small force, run by teamsters and rates encouraged use of Canada’s railways and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Roads were not what they are now, couriers did not exist and most freight moved on tariff prices.

If carriers made mistakes, shippers could file claims and recover their money. And because rates were so complex, specialists such as our founders provided a good solution. Freight rate auditing was a recession-proof, even depression-proof and the business flourished through the thirties and forties.

In 1960, Eric Gracey, the father of DTA's current owner, bought the business as a going concern. He was well known in transportation, earning the nickname “Mr. Shipper” when he was one of the founders and ran the CITT (Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation). DTA was a small business then, but Eric saw the potential and used his extensive contacts to build new relationships.

From these beginnings, through the sixties and seventies, Eric grew DTA's client list and with his son, Robert, added computerization in the mid 1970’s to automate payment and generate reporting. In the mid-1980’s, Robert left and sisters Cynthia and Melissa joined the family business to work with their father.

Eric worked with his daughters to craft a succession plan to manage the transition to second-generation owners/management. They worked hard to minimize disruptions for both clients and staff of DTA Services with a lot of communication and careful planning. The transition was successfully completed in 1990. The sisters continued to grow the business after Eric’s death in 1994 through enhanced computer implementation, staff training and client and carrier quality programmes.

In April 2007, Cynthia retired and Melissa now runs the company as President supported with her team of Managers representing Quality, Human Resources, Information Technology and Clients/Carrier Service. Melissa’s formal education at McGill University in Montreal, QC and experience in the financial markets as an investment pension plan administrator prior to her years working at DTA has well positioned her to take DTA boldly into the future. To accommodate DTA's expanding business, the office moved in December 2007 to Suite 600, 505 Consumers Road – minutes from the 401 and 404 in Toronto, Canada.