Each month, we analyze FMCSA census data to get a better understanding of how the freight market is performing. Here are a few key trends we have identified, comparing February 2012 data to the most recently released data as of publishing, October 2018.
In the past six years, drivers have chosen to join smaller fleets or go in business for themselves as owner-operators. The 1-100 truck segment has grown over 42.9%, while fleets with 501+ trucks has grown 21.5%
There are 84, 468more fleets in business with 1-6 trucks today than there were in 2012, while only 53 new large trucking enterprises have formed.
In just six years, the smaller segments have grown rapidly, while the pace of the largest carrier fleets has hovered around 16%.
Want to dive deeper and learn more about our theories for these trends? Check out these blog posts:
https://tuckerco.com/driver-shortage-debunked/
https://tuckerco.com/shipper-buying-behavior-worsening-scarcity-of-specialized-drivers/