Following a record year in 2018 for freight demand and the highest tonnage in 20 years, trucking in 2019 saw a contraction that resulted in a dramatic per-mile cost decrease for fleets across the country, according to the latest Operational Costs report from the American Transportation Research Institute.
Carriers responding to ATRI’s report saw in 2019 a reduction in a number of costs, including fuel, repair and maintenance, as well as driver wages and benefits. According to ATRI, the per-mile costs of trucking contracted from $1.821 in 2018 to $1.652 in 2019 – a 9% decrease.
Of carriers who responded to the survey, 28% were from fleets with more than 1,000 power units; 19% were from fleets with 251-1,000 power units; 13% were fleets with 101-250 power units; 31% were from carriers with 26-100 power units; 9% had 5-25 power unites; and 1% had less than 5 power units.
