The US trucking industry moves more than just freight. It drives the economy, employs millions, and connects every sector from manufacturing to retail. Understanding the data behind this massive market helps carriers, fleet owners, and industry professionals make informed decisions about operations, growth, and investment.

These statistics reveal the current state of trucking in 2025, from market size and employment trends to technology adoption and workforce challenges. Whether you operate 5 trucks or 500, knowing where the industry stands shapes how you position your business for profitability.

Market Size and Economic Impact

1. Market Revenue: In 2024, the US trucking industry generated $906 billion in revenue, down from $1.004 trillion in 2023 due to freight recession pressures. The industry grossed $940.8 billion in 2022, representing 80.7% of the nation's total freight bill.

2. Global Market Growth: The global freight trucking market is valued at $2.2 trillion and projected to reach $3.4 trillion by 2030, growing at a rate of 5.4% annually. The US market accounts for $532.7 billion of this total.

3. Annual Freight Volume: Trucks moved 11.27 billion tons of freight in 2024, accounting for approximately 72% of all domestic freight by weight. This represents the backbone of America's supply chain.

4. Cross-Border Trade: Trucks moved 67% of surface trade between the US and Canada in 2024, and 85% of goods across the Mexican border. California and Texas lead state-to-state truck freight movements.

5. E-commerce Influence: E-commerce accounts for nearly 15% of all retail sales, driving demand for trucking services particularly in last-mile delivery. Growth in last-mile delivery markets is expected to expand by 21.2% in 2025.

This market size creates opportunities for carriers who understand the key metrics that drive profitability. Success requires more than just hauling freight. It demands understanding cost structures, lane economics, and operational efficiency.

Employment and Workforce Statistics

6. Total Employment: The trucking industry employed 8.4 million people in 2024 across all industry-related jobs, including 3.58 million professional truck drivers.

7. Driver Shortage Reality: The industry faces an estimated driver shortage between 60,000 and 80,000 positions in 2025. However, this figure is debated, with some experts arguing the issue is freight shortage, not driver shortage, pointing to the 25,000+ carrier closures in 2023.

8. Projected Shortage Growth: The American Trucking Associations projects the driver shortage could reach 160,000 by 2030 as older drivers retire and demand increases, though actual market conditions may differ from projections.

9. Average Driver Age: The average age of commercial truck drivers in the US stands at 55 years. Workers aged 45-64 in truck transportation make up almost 50% of the workforce as of January 2024, signaling an aging workforce requiring replenishment.

10. Driver Retention Crisis: Long-haul trucking companies experience an average annual turnover rate exceeding 90%, with less-than-truckload carriers at 79%. Job satisfaction for truck drivers ranks in the bottom 10% of all careers.

11. Owner-Operators: Approximately 11% of truck drivers are owner-operators, totaling around 350,000 independent truckers who own and operate their own equipment.

12. Women in Trucking: Women represent 8.1% of truck drivers as of 2025, marking the seventh consecutive annual increase. By 2023, women constituted 12.1% of all professional drivers according to the Women In Trucking Index.

13. Foreign-Born Drivers: Nearly one in six US truck drivers are foreign-born. However, a 2025 visa pause on employment visas for commercial truck drivers threatens to exacerbate the labor shortage.

Workforce challenges drive carriers to automate payroll and driver settlements to improve retention. When administrative work becomes seamless, drivers spend less time on paperwork and more time earning.

Market Structure and Competition

14. Market Fragmentation: The trucking industry remains highly fragmented, with 91.5% of carriers operating 10 or fewer trucks and 99.3% operating fewer than 100 power units. The top 10 companies control only 12% of market share.

15. Total Carriers: Approximately 1.9 million trucking companies operate in the United States, though only about one-third of brokerage authorities remain active after two years.

16. Fleet Size Distribution: Over 750,000 carriers operate in the US according to the American Trucking Associations, with 95.8% operating 10 or fewer trucks.

17. Market Concentration: Despite millions of carriers, the industry sees consolidation pressure. In 2023 alone, over 35,000 trucking companies went out of business, including major carriers like Yellow with 25,000+ drivers.

This intense competition explains why most trucking companies fail within their first few years. Low barriers to entry create oversupply during downturns, compressing rates and squeezing margins.

Fleet Composition and Equipment

18. Total Truck Registrations: Over 15 million commercial trucks are registered in the US, with 13.86 million classified as single-unit and combination trucks as of 2021.

19. Vehicle Types: Class 8 trucks dominate the market, accounting for nearly 70% of all commercial trucks on American roads. These heavy-duty vehicles handle the bulk of long-haul freight.

20. Average Haul Length: The average haul length in US trucking runs approximately 500 miles, though this varies significantly by freight type, equipment, and regional density.

21. Fleet Age: Carriers prioritize modern equipment for reliability. Successful fleets like PAVA Logistics maintain trucks from 2023 and newer, with trailers no older than 2022 to reduce maintenance costs.

Profitability and Cost Structure

22. Operating Ratio: The average industry operating ratio stands at 90%, meaning carriers keep only 10% of revenue as operating profit. This thin margin has a standard deviation of 10-20%, making trucking profitability more volatile than most industries.

23. Driver Wages: Driver compensation represents 34% of total freight trucking costs. Entry-level drivers earn between $50,000 and $65,000, with median pay for heavy and tractor-trailer drivers exceeding $55,000 annually in 2025.

24. Operating Costs: Operating costs minus fuel reached $1.779 per mile in 2024, the highest in the 17-year history of the American Transportation Research Institute's research. Beyond driver wages, costs include fuel, truck lease or finance payments, maintenance, insurance, tolls, and administrative overhead.

25. Weekly Operational Loss: A shortage of approximately 24,000 truck drivers leaves equipment idle, costing the freight industry an estimated $95.5 million every week in lost revenue at $3,971 per truck per week.

Understanding true operating costs separates profitable carriers from those barely surviving. Carriers using real-time analytics identify cost savings that competitors miss entirely.

Technology Adoption and Innovation

26. Telematics Penetration: Approximately 25 million GPS and wireless devices including dashcams are used to manage fleet vehicles, with the market projected to expand to over 34 million units by 2028.

27. Fleet Management Technology: Over 80% of trucking companies in the US have adopted telematics and fleet management systems. Around 62% of fleets use telematics for route optimization, 48% for fuel tracking, and 37% for safety monitoring.

28. Video Telematics Growth: Video telematics is the fastest-growing sector in commercial telematics, driven by liability determination and driver coaching needs, particularly in trucking segments.

29. Market Value: The global truck telematics market reached $1.14 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $4.51 billion by 2034 at a 14.77% compound annual growth rate.

30. Driver Behavior Monitoring: Nearly 57% of American fleets use telematics for driver behavior analysis, 44% rely on it for compliance reporting, and 39% adopt cloud-based telematics for predictive maintenance.

31. Connected Truck Market: The connected truck market is estimated at $34.13 billion in 2025 and expected to reach $72.71 billion by 2030, growing at 16.33% CAGR.

Technology adoption has moved from optional to mandatory. Carriers still using spreadsheets compete against operators with AI-native automation and real-time visibility. The performance gap continues expanding.

Fuel Efficiency and Environmental Impact

32. Fuel Efficiency Gains: Modern trucks achieve an average of 7.5 miles per gallon compared to 5.5 MPG a decade ago, representing a 36% improvement in fuel efficiency.

33. Emissions Reduction: The trucking industry has reduced carbon emissions by 31% since 2005, demonstrating progress toward environmental sustainability even as freight volumes grow.

34. Alternative Fuel Adoption: Driven by environmental concerns and regulatory pressure, carriers are adopting electric, hydrogen, and natural gas vehicles at accelerating rates to reduce emissions and fuel costs.

Industry Challenges and Concerns

35. Top Industry Concerns: For 2025, motor carriers rank the Economy, Lawsuit Abuse Reform, and Insurance Cost and Availability as their top three concerns. The Driver Shortage fell out of the top 10 for the first time in 21 years.

36. Driver Concerns: Commercial truck drivers cite the economy, lack of parking, rising fuel prices, driver shortage, and compensation as their top five concerns.

37. Insurance Costs: Insurance cost and availability climbed to the third biggest industry concern, with premiums rising significantly across all fleet sizes.

38. Truck Parking Shortage: Lack of truck parking dropped to fourth overall concern but remains a critical safety and operational issue affecting driver rest and compliance.

39. Freight Fraud: 78% of freight brokers spend significant time addressing fraud-related problems, with 65% experiencing productivity losses and 25% facing legal issues as a result.

Cyclical Nature and Market Volatility

40. Market Cycles: The trucking market operates in clear cycles, with major downturns occurring roughly every three years. The industry experienced significant freight recession in 2023-2024 following post-pandemic overcapacity.

41. Capacity Adjustments: Overcapacity persisted throughout 2024, particularly in the for-hire segment, as private fleets absorbed freight volume. The rebalancing process is expected to extend into 2025.

42. Spot Rate Stability: Spot rates stabilized in September 2024, with dry van averaging $1.63 per mile, reefer $1.92, and flatbed $2.18, though these rates remain below seasonal norms.

43. Class 8 Orders: Net orders for Class 8 trucks totaled 20,666 units in September 2024, down 44% year-over-year, the weakest September since 2019.

Carriers with strong financial visibility survive downturns while competitors fold. Financial management integrated with operations provides the clarity needed to weather volatility.

Business Models and Operations

44. Business Model Variations: Carriers operate primarily under two models: company driver operations and owner-operator programs, each with different cost structures, revenue potential, and management complexity.

45. Freight Types: Full Truckload (FTL) freight comprises the majority of trucking volume, though LTL, intermodal, and specialized freight segments create diverse opportunities.

46. Agricultural Transport: The trucking industry transports 82.7% of agricultural products, including 92% of dairy, fruit, vegetables, and nuts, demonstrating critical dependence on reliable freight.

47. Supply Chain Criticality: Grocery stores would run out of stock in just three days if trucks stopped moving. Medical supplies, ATM cash, gasoline, and water treatment chemicals all depend on continuous trucking operations.

Growth and Scaling Challenges

48. Scaling Complexity: Carriers who scale past 10 trucks typically need to formalize business models, implement proper systems, and establish financial controls before rapid growth begins.

49. System Fragmentation: Many carriers still juggle multiple disconnected systems for dispatch, accounting, compliance, and reporting. Consolidating these tools eliminates data silos and reduces manual work.

50. One-Third Still Use Spreadsheets: Nearly one-third of all US trucking carriers still rely primarily on spreadsheets for operations and financial management, competing against carriers with integrated technology platforms.

What These Statistics Mean for Your Fleet

These numbers reveal a clear pattern: trucking remains essential and growing, but success requires operational precision. The combination of thin margins, intense competition, workforce challenges, and cyclical volatility means carriers must operate differently than they did five or ten years ago.

The carriers who thrive understand their costs at granular levels, track profitability by truck and lane, automate administrative work, and make strategic decisions based on data rather than intuition. Technology has moved from competitive advantage to survival requirement.

Ray Cargo scaled from 50 to 350+ trucks by eliminating spreadsheet chaos and gaining complete financial visibility. PAVA Logistics runs 200 trucks with discipline and data-driven decision-making. The common thread? They invested in the right systems before competitors forced them to catch up.

Turn Industry Data Into Competitive Advantage

Datatruck is the carrier-first TMS built to help fleet owners turn statistics into strategy. Our AI-native platform provides the real-time visibility, automated workflows, and financial clarity that separate profitable carriers from struggling ones.

From TruckGPT document automation to integrated accounting through Fintruck, Datatruck eliminates the manual work and data fragmentation that prevent carriers from scaling profitably. See how carrier-first technology helps fleets of all sizes make smarter decisions faster.

With 100+ integrations covering telematics, load boards, factoring, fuel management, and compliance tools, Datatruck connects every aspect of your operation into one unified system. No more spreadsheets. No more disconnected platforms. Just complete clarity.

Book a free demo and see how Datatruck turns your fleet data into competitive advantage. Stop guessing about profitability and start managing it with precision.