A large chunk of the nation’s small fleets continues to be closed or operating well below normal as the coronavirus continues its gridlock on much of the economy, according to Overdrive’s weekly survey. Business status was listed as “totally shut down” by 29% of respondents and “running far less than usual” by 54%.
The hardest hit regions were South Atlantic (Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia), where respondents choosing either of those categories totaled 96%, and East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee), at 95%.
Just 6% of survey respondents from the East South Central region were refrigerated carriers, whose commodities hauled have been more insulated from the pandemic’s effects in some ways than other sectors. Respondents in that region were also more likely than most haul flatbed or specialized platform freight, hit hard by a decline in manufactured goods. The South Atlantic states’ operational breakdown largely mirrored other regional shares among respondents.
Small fleet owners in three pockets of states show much better resilience, with 25% to 27% reporting their status as “virtually unchanged” or even “busier than usual.” These states are East North Central (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin), West South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas) and Pacific (California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii).
Overdrive’s most recent weekly survey gathered results from 338 respondents during April 29 to May 5. Nine in 10 respondents were those with operating authority – 186 running one truck and 152 running two to nine trucks. The remaining responses came from leased operators.
Recent freight experience has continued to be slim pickings at super-low rates for most respondents. However, near-term expectations improved slightly from recent weeks.
Asking how the pandemic has affected freight levels, 20% chose “decreased” and 65% “decreased significantly,” on par with recent weekly surveys.
