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Trucking—A $6 billion market

There are more than 546,000 trucking companies in the United States, according to data compiled by MarketStance, Middletown, Connecticut. These firms employ more than 2 million people. The firms range in size from the single owner/operator, which accounts for nearly 434,000 of the trucking enterprises, to the 163 national accounts that account for about 25% of the total employment in the industry. There are nearly 109,000 small commercial trucking enterprises and more than 4,000 middle market accounts.

During the last four years, the growth in sales has come from smaller accounts, with nonemployer trucking enterprises showing an average annual growth rate of 6.7%; small commercial rose an average of 2.9% a year; middle market accounts had sales growth of only 0.3% annually; and national accounts showed an average annual decline of 2.6%. MarketStance, however, projects a change in this pattern, with national accounts showing a 2.5% average growth rate in the years 2004 through 2008, with middle market accounts growing 2.6%; small commercial, 2.7%; and nonemployer truckers only growing at a modest 1.7%.

The trucking industry represents more than $6 billion in property/casualty premium, with the bulk of that (more than $5 billion) in the small and middle market accounts. The national accounts represent nearly $600 million, while the nonemployer accounts represent only $330 million in premium.

There are more than 245,000 local trucking firms employing 712,000 people and representing $2.5 billion in premium; the just under 290,000 nonlocal (long-haul) trucking firms employ 1.26 million people, representing $3.4 billion in premium. The 11,500 moving and storage trucking firms employ about 36,000 people, representing $133 million.

Long-haul trucking represents 57% of the total trucking market in the United States, ranging from a low of 38% of the state trucking market in New York to a high of nearly 80% of the trucking market in Arkansas. *

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