Market for drivers continues to be tight for large carriers

February 2, 2016

News

ARLINGTON, VA. — The annualized turnover rate at large truckload carriers in the United States rose 13 points to 100 percent in the third quarter of 2015, the highest it has been in three years, according to American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) Chief Economist Bob Costello.

Meanwhile, the rate at smaller truckload carriers dipped to 68%, its lowest point since the final quarter in 2011.

“It is just one data point, so it is hard to draw any real conclusions on what is happening with turnover,” Costello said in a news release. “However, the increase in the turnover rate at large carriers matches up with what we’ve been hearing anecdotally from fleets: that the market for drivers continues to be tight.”

Large carriers, fleets with more than $30 million in annual revenue, averaged a turnover rate of 90 percent in the first three quarters of 2015, down slightly from the average of 95 percent in 2014. To date, the small carrier rate has average 75 percent, a significant departure from the 90 percent averaged in 2014.

“The split in the truckload turnover rates is not unusual, but may be caused by a variety and combination of factors,” Costello said. “We may likely have a clearer picture of the driver market once fourth quarter turnover figures are in so we can better analyze any possible trend.”

Source: ATA