Turnover at large truckload carriers was down at the end of last year, but up at smaller companies.
Figures released earlier this week by the American Trucking Associations showed turnover in the last three months of 2018 was :
- 78 percent, down nine percentage points, for large fleets (more than $30 million revenue)
- 77 percent, up five points, for small carriers
For the year, large fleet turnover averaged 89 percent, up two points from the previous year. Smaller carriers’ turnover averaged 73 percent for 2018, the lowest since 2011, according to the ATA.
Turnover at less-than-truckload fleets was unchanged at 10 percent for the quarter and averaged 11 percent on the year.
“The driver market continues to be tight, but not quite as much as the middle of 2018. The overall trend late last year was that turnover is slowing,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “There can be various reasons for this – either freight volumes are decelerating and as such fleets pulled back on recruiting efforts or fleets’ efforts to increase pay are paying dividends in the form of reduced turnover. The truth probably lies somewhere in between, but it is a trend that bears watching.”
