United States Department of Transportation
i
Assessing the Motor Carrier Industry and Its Segments: Current and Prospective Issues 2006
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2006-04-01
[PDF-130.22 KB]
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Abstract:This report updates the Motor Carrier Industry Profile: An Update 2004-2005 to reflect recent changes in the motor carrier industry. This document relies heavily on industry trade journals, company annual reports and other industry surveys as sources. The focus of this paper is to identify the major issues that trucking firms had to face during 2005 and industry response to these events. Special attention is paid to how different firms were affected by these events. The major events in 2005 were: continued growth in the economy, the continuing driver shortages, the high diesel prices, and the increased state and local government taxation and regulation. Growth in the economy helped most firms realize increased demand. The driver shortfall has led to a state of under capacity in the industry, which has helped some firms increase their margins. However, labor costs are likely to increase for all firms, as recruitment and retention of qualified drivers tends to be expensive. Fuel prices have been extremely high; yet, this has had different effects on different companies. Larger firms have been, for the most part, successful in passing fuel costs along to customers in the form of fuel surcharges. This has not been the case for smaller firms, and they have suffered disproportionately as a result of high fuel prices. Finally, there has been a general trend in the government, both state and local, towards greater taxation of the trucking industry. Increased road tolls and new EPA regulations have had the effect of raising firms’ costs, and the move towards reducing speed limits for commercial trucks has had the effect of lowering productivity and decreasing capacity.
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