Trucking Companies – Industry Analysis, Statistics, Trends, and Forecasts

SIC 421 | NAICS 484

This free online guide to industry research and analysis provides sources for industry statistics, trends, and forecasts, financial ratios, salary surveys, and more.

See the following sections listed below to view available resources by category:

Industry Analysis, Statistics, Trends, and Forecasts

Financial Statements and Financial Ratios

Compensation and Salary Surveys

BV Guides and Databases

For guides to other industries, see our index of over 400 industries.

Industry Analysis, Statistics, Trends, and Forecasts

Industry Research Reports
Local Freight Trucking (view report)
Long-Distance Freight Trucking (view report)

Comprehensive industry research reports provide in-depth industry analysis and five-year forecasts, with special focus on the underlying structure and external forces and relationships that affect industries and their performance. Topics addressed in the reports include:

Market size and major product and service segments
Key industry statistics, trends, and financial ratios
Operating conditions and current performance
Competitive landscape and environment
Major company profiles and market shares
Five-year outlook and growth forecasts

Sample industry research report and selected industry statistics including market size, five-year average growth rate, number of businesses, and total employment are available free online.

Bobit Business Media
Heavy Duty Trucking Magazine
https://www.truckinginfo.com/

Monthly trade publication features news and information for fleet owners and managers, with special reports including the "Annual Fact Book" which provides statistics and reference information for fleet operations, fuel costs, driver employment and wages, trucks, tractors, and trailers, parts and service, safety performance, and highway and bridge infrastructure. Digital edition can be viewed free online.

Randall-Reilly Publishing
Commercial Carrier Journal
https://www.ccjdigital.com/

Monthly journal features news and information for commercial carrier executives and managers, with special features including the "CCJ Top 250" report which ranks the top for-hire motor carriers based on a blended combination of annual revenue, total number of power units (e.g., trucks, tractors), and number of drivers (e.g., employee, independent contractor). Digital editions are available free online.

Transport Topics, Inc.
Transport Topics
https://www.ttnews.com/

Weekly publication features news and information for the motor carrier industry, with special features including the "Top 100 For-Hire Carriers" report which ranks companies based on revenue by sector (e.g., truckload/dedicated, less-than-truckload, refrigerated, flatbed/specialized, intermodal/drayage, tank/bulk, package/courier, and motor vehicle/driveaway). Selected articles are available free online.

American Trucking Associations
Publications available from this trade association include:

ATA U.S. Freight Transportation Forecast
http://www.atabusinesssolutions.com/ Select "Economics" from "Categories" menu
Annual report profiles the current state of the freight transportation system and provides forecasts for for-hire motor freight carriers and other freight transportation modes in terms of volume of tonnage to be hauled and revenue expected to be collected over the next ten years, and also includes forecasts for retail truck sales and the number of Class 8 heavy-duty vehicles in operation for the same period.

ATA American Trucking Trends
http://www.atabusinesssolutions.com/ Select "Economics" from "Categories" menu
Annual publication offers a comprehensive look at trends in the trucking industry, with topics covered in the report including industry revenues, truck freight tonnage, number of miles traveled and amount of fuel consumed, number of Class 8 trucks in operation, taxes paid by the trucking industry, number of drivers and other types of employees, and revenue forecast for for-hire and private motor carriers.

American Transportation Research Institute
Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry
https://truckingresearch.org/

Annual survey asks respondents to rank their top three choices from a "Top Ten" list of issues facing the industry and also rank their top three proposed strategies corresponding to each of their selected issues, with top rated concerns in recent years including driver shortage, hours of service, electronic logging device mandate, driver retention, and parking space scarcity. Report is available free online.

BizMiner Market Analysis Reports
General & Specialized Freight Trucking Services
https://www.bizminer.com Search for "4841" and "4842" to see available reports

Market analysis reports provide industry statistics for a user-defined area on a national, state, county, metro area, or zip code level, with data provided including number of companies, market volume and sales trends, average company sales, sales per employee, staffing and employment trends, average employee wage, and business start up activity and failure rates. Sample report can be viewed online.

More industry research reports »

Financial Statements and Financial Ratios

BizMiner Industry Financial Ratios
General & Specialized Freight Trucking Services

https://www.bizminer.com Search for "4841" and "4842" to see available reports

Five-year financial statement analysis reports provide income statements, balance sheets, and key industry financial ratios for companies of all sizes, with financial data available by sales size range on a national, state, and metropolitan area level including:

Income and expenses in dollars and percentages
Balance sheets in dollars and percentages
Profitability and return on investment ratios
Liquidity and working capital ratios
Asset turnover and efficiency ratios
Capital structure and debt service ratios

Sample financial statement and ratio analysis report is available free online.

Industry Research Reports
Local and Long-Distance Freight Trucking

(see links for individual reports) (sample spreadsheet)

Financial benchmarks section provides detailed comparative income statements and balance sheets and over twenty-five industry financial ratios, with financial benchmarks available for each of the five most recent fiscal years and on a historical average basis for three-year, five-year, and ten-year time periods. Sample spreadsheet that includes breakdowns by total asset size can be viewed free online.

American Transportation Research Institute
An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking
https://truckingresearch.org/

Annual financial report provides operating cost data for motor freight carrier operations, with average marginal costs per mile and per hour reported for vehicle-based costs (e.g., fuel, equipment lease or purchase payments, repair and maintenance, truck insurance premiums, permits and licenses, tires, and tolls) and driver costs (e.g., wages, benefits) by sector (e.g., truckload, L-T-truckload, and other).

More financial benchmarking data »

Compensation and Salary Surveys

ATA
ATA Driver Compensation Survey
http://www.atabusinesssolutions.com/ Select "Economics" from "Categories" menu

Annual survey provides base pay, bonus, incentive, and benefits data for employee and independent contractor drivers, with survey results broken out by carrier type (e.g., for-hire truckload, for-hire less- than-truckload, and private fleet) and transport mode (e.g., van irregular national/regional routes, van dedicated routes, reefer, tank truck, flatbed, drayage, non-drayage, and less-than-truckload regional).

PayScale, Inc.
Local and Long-Distance Freight Trucking
https://www.payscale.com/

Free online service provides salary, bonus, and hourly wage data for job positions in this sector such as operations manager, safety manager, fleet dispatcher, truck driver, dock worker, diesel mechanic, and shop foreman, with employers for which data is provided including J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., YRC Worldwide, Inc., Prime, Inc., Werner Enterprises, Inc., and Swift Transportation Company.

More compensation surveys »

BV Guides and Databases

BVMarketData
Private Company Sales Transaction Databases
https://www.bvresources.com/

Free "Visitor Search" allows users to search the DealStats, BIZCOMPS, and FactSet/BVR databases for private company sales transaction data by SIC or NAICS Code using the following codes:

– SIC Code 421 - Trucking Services

– NAICS Code 484 - Truck Transportation

Types of establishments included in these codes

For-hire common carriers - establishments providing truck transportation services for the general public over various distances ranging from local to long-distance that may haul general or specialized freight shipments on a truckload or less-than-truckload basis.

Contract carriers - establishments focused on providing trucking transportation services for specific customers under contractual agreements tailored to meet customer needs that may require services such as just-in-time delivery or dedicated delivery routes.

Private carriers - establishments that transport their own goods using their own vehicles and employees, such as a retail grocery chain that operates its own fleet of trucks, and do not offer trucking transportation services to the general public or other businesses.

Truckload freight trucking services - establishments providing transportation services for full truckloads of freight over local or long distances, with examples of cargoes carried including bulk commodities, manufactured products, and machinery and equipment.

Less-than-truckload freight trucking services - establishments that provide transportation services for smaller quantities of freight, typically weighing from 150 to 15,000 pounds, for two or more customers using a single delivery vehicle over local to long distances.

Package and parcel freight services - establishments specializing in the transportation of small packages and parcels that weigh less than 150 pounds on a same-day, overnight, or standard delivery service level for consumers, businesses, and other customers.

Intermodal freight trucking operations - establishments that transport freight in trailers or containers designed to use two or more modes of transportation, such as trucks, ships, railroads, and planes, without any handling of the freight itself when changing modes.

Specialized freight trucking services - establishments specializing in transporting specific types of cargoes requiring special handling or equipment such as perishable goods, dry bulk materials, flammable liquids or gases, and oversized or irregularly shaped loads.

Sample reports with detailed sales transaction data and valuation multiples are available free online.

More valuation data »

Related Industries:
Commercial Truck Dealers
Truck Rental and Leasing
Truck Repair Services
Truck Trailer Distributors

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