US Trucking Industry Statistics, 2026 Data and Market Size

If you run a small fleet, you already feel two truths every headline misses: trucks move almost everything in this country, yet almost nobody hauling that freight runs more than a handful of trucks. The gap between those facts is where your year gets won or lost.

Here is a plain read of the trucking industry statistics that move a carrier's P&L in 2026, each figure traced to a primary source: ATA, FMCSA, ATRI, BLS, and Fortune Business Insights. Updated 2026.

US trucking industry statistics at a glance

One structural fact shapes your strategy: trucks move most of the nation's freight, but through a market of mostly tiny carriers running on razor-thin margins.

How big is the trucking industry? Market size and revenue

The US trucking industry generated $906 billion in gross freight revenue in 2024 per ATA's American Trucking Trends. That is the authoritative number to quote when someone asks how big the domestic industry is, and it was down from roughly $1.004 trillion the year before as a freight recession pushed thousands of small carriers out.

Fortune Business Insights (updated August 2026) valued the global freight trucking market at $2.84 trillion in 2025, growing to $3.97 trillion by 2034 at a 3.82% CAGR, with the US segment projected at $988 billion by 2026.

What does it cost to run a truck? Cost per mile statistics

Cost per mile is the number that decides whether a load is worth taking. Per ATRI's 2026 Operational Costs of Trucking report, the industry-average marginal cost hit a record $2.336 per mile in 2025, up 3.4% year over year. Excluding fuel, costs rose 4.2% to $1.854 per mile, the highest ever recorded.

Driver pay is the single largest line item. ATRI puts driver wages at about $0.818 per mile and total driver compensation, including benefits, at roughly $1.028 per mile. The fastest-rising costs in 2025 were tolls (up 13.2%), repair and maintenance (up 8.6%), driver benefits (up 6.6%), and tires (up 6.4%).

For a full breakdown by fleet size and lane, see how carriers calculate and lower cost per mile.

How many trucking companies are there? Market fragmentation

This is a small-carrier business, the fact that explains market size better than revenue. As of June 2025, there were almost 580,000 active US motor carriers registered with FMCSA owning or leasing at least one tractor. 91.5% operate 10 or fewer trucks and 99.3% operate 100 or fewer.

A five-truck operation competes for the same freight as fleets with hundreds of units and almost no pricing power on a load. Its edge is overhead discipline, routing efficiency, and how fast it turns a delivered load into cash.

Why is the trucking industry struggling? Driver and capacity statistics

The driver base is shrinking while capacity contracts. ATA counted 3.58 million professional drivers in 2024, down 0.8%, on top of an estimated shortage north of 174,000 drivers. Industry employment still stands at 8.4 million per BLS, but headcount hides the squeeze inside the cab.

ATRI reports the largest capacity reduction since the 2022 downturn began: truck counts down 2.4%, another 10% of trucks left unseated on average, and non-driver staffing cut 7.8%. Tighter hiring rules also raise your cost to fill a seat.

Trucking profitability, rates, and margins in 2026

Margins are thin across almost every sector. Per ATRI, 2025 operating margins in the truckload and refrigerated sectors improved slightly but stayed below 1.0%, tank carriers averaged 4.0%, and flatbed carriers ran an average operating loss of -0.5%. Only LTLs and fleets over 1,000 trucks held healthy margins.

• Rates: Freight rates are turning a corner in 2026, but the projected 4% to 6% lift lands in the back half if at all, so do not budget it into Q1 or Q2.

• Costs: All major cost line items rose in 2025, and Q1 2026 data show most trends continuing.

• Payment terms: Brokers commonly pay 30 to 45 days out, some 90 or more, so you finance their float while your truck note is due monthly.

• Equipment: Average truck age and annual mileage both rose in 2025 as carriers deferred replacement.

• Technology: When rates are flat and costs climb, margin comes from cutting empty miles and catching a failing part before it strands a truck.

What the US trucking industry statistics mean for your fleet

Trucking is a $906 billion industry made almost entirely of small carriers, moving most of the nation's freight in a year when costs hit records and margins sit near zero. In a fragmented, low-margin market, the carriers that survive shorten the gap between delivering a load and getting paid, and run leaner than fleets ten times their size.

That is the case for moving off legacy, broker-adapted software to an AI-native TMS. Datatruck's carrier-first TMS puts settlement, cost tracking, and load booking in one place so a delivered load turns into cash in days, which is exactly the lever these statistics say decides a small fleet's year.

Frequently asked questions

How big is the trucking industry in the US?

ATA puts US gross freight revenue at $906 billion for 2024, down from about $1.004 trillion the prior year, moving 11.27 billion tons or 72.7% of the nation's freight by weight. Globally, Fortune Business Insights valued freight trucking at $2.84 trillion in 2025.

How much does it cost to operate a truck per mile?

ATRI's 2026 report puts the industry-average marginal cost at a record $2.336 per mile in 2025, up 3.4% year over year. Excluding fuel it was $1.854 per mile, and driver wages alone accounted for about $0.818 per mile.

How many trucking companies are in the US?

Almost 580,000 active motor carriers are registered with FMCSA as of June 2025, and 91.5% operate 10 or fewer trucks. That fragmentation, not total revenue, is the fact that defines the market.

Why is the trucking industry struggling right now?

Record operating costs of $2.336 per mile, a shrinking driver base, and operating margins below 1% in most sectors are squeezing carriers at once. ATRI reports the largest capacity cut since 2022, with truck counts down 2.4% and 10% of trucks left unseated.

Sources: American Trucking Associations, Economics and Industry Data; FMCSA registration data; ATRI, 2026 Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking; US Bureau of Labor Statistics (NAICS 484); Fortune Business Insights, Freight Trucking Market (Aug 2026).