Study shows record trucking income for 2015

Updated Aug 5, 2016

A newly-published study of the U.S. trucking economy shows that 2015 was a good year for the industry, and while the first half of 2016 was not as sterling, the issuing trade association remains optimistic.

The American Trucking Associations released the latest edition of its annual almanac, “ATA American Trucking Trends 2016.” It shows the industry had gains in employment, number of truck drivers and truck sales through 2015.

“According to our data, trucking revenues topped $700 billion for a second straight year, setting an all-time record of $726.4 billion in 2015, while trucks moved more than 10 billion tons of freight,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello in a statement accompanying the new almanac. “While the first half of 2016 has been challenging for the industry, trucking is coming off two very strong years and we are optimistic about the future.”

Among the findings in this year’s edition of Trends:

  • Trucking collected $726.4 billion in gross freight revenues, 81.5 percent of the nation’s freight bill in 2015.
  • Trucks carried 10.49 tons of freight in 2015, accounting for 70.1 percent of domestic freight tonnage.
  • In 2015, there were 3.63 million Class 8 trucks in operation.

“In many ways, 2015 was a good year for our industry, and Trends clearly demonstrates that,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear.

The ATA sells the report for $125 for members and $250 for non-members. It’s available at www.atabusinesssolutions.com or by calling 866-821-3468.