Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, July 2, 2025:
ATRI: Overall trucking costs fell in 2024
The average cost of trucking dipped slightly last year but remains in record territory, according to research published Tuesday from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).
In its "Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking" report, ATRI found the industry’s average cost of operating a truck in 2024 was $2.26 per mile, a 0.4% decline compared with the previous year.
However, when lower fuel costs for the year are excluded, marginal costs rose 3.6% to $1.779 per mile -- the highest costs ever recorded by ATRI for non-fuel operating costs.
This chart from ATRI's report shows carriers' average marginal costs per mile dating back to 2015.ATRI
Operating cost trends varied by line-item in 2024. Fuel and repair and maintenance expenses each declined from 2023 to 2024, and driver wages -- the primary contributor to cost increases in the three years following the COVID-19 pandemic -- rose by just 2.4%, half a percentage point less than inflation.
ATRI said as a result of current trucking market conditions, carriers were particularly hard-hit by growing costs in several line-items, including truck and trailer payments (which rose by 8.3% to a record-high 39 cents per mile) and driver benefits costs (which rose 4.8% to 19.7 cents per mile).
Carriers saw the biggest percentage-change increases in tolls and truck/trailer payments from 2023 to 2024.ATRI
Carrier profitability suffered across all industry sectors under these pressures, as the findings show in stark detail. Average operating margins were below 2% in every sector aside from LTL, and the truckload sector had an average operating margin of -2.3%.
Truck capacity dropped 2.2%, ATRI found, as carriers sold trucks, and empty miles rose to an average of 16.7%. The number of drivers per truck fell to 0.93 as carriers parked trucks that they did not sell.
Another cost-management strategy was reducing non-driver staff by 6.8%. At the same time, though, average truck age, average dwell time per stop, and mileage between breakdowns improved -- all testaments to industry performance despite economic headwinds, the firm noted.
ATRI’s report also offered some insight into carriers’ costs as 2025 began. Costs in January and February 2025 compared to 2024 were up for all but one line-item -- tires. The biggest increases early this year were seen with truck insurance premiums (up 5.8%), tolls (up 4.3%) and truck/trailer lease or purchase payments (up 3.9%).
Based on numbers from January and February 2025, carriers reported per-mile cost increases in almost all categories compared to 2024.ATRI
[Related: What if you could give yourself an immediate 7 cents/mile rates boost?]
CloudTrucks seeks exemption from certain driver application requirements
The CloudTrucks “virtual” carrier is seeking an exemption from federal regulations related to the hiring of truck drivers.
The company, which today operates with more than 700 owner-operators, has petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for an exemption from the requirement to collect the following information from prospective drivers: list of employers’ names, addresses, dates of employment, reason for leaving, nature of the position the driver held, and if the driver was subject to the alcohol and controlled substances testing requirements.
Instead, CloudTrucks proposes using its own verification process that consists of cross-referencing national databases to include HireRight’s Drive-A-Check (DAC) report, FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (DACH), Pre-employment Screening Program (PSP), and Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS).
[Related: Owner-op's real success with 'virtual' carrier]
CloudTrucks contends that the requirements for driver applicants to provide the above information on an application “were created for paper applications and ‘single-fleet carriers,’” FMCSA said. CloudTrucks “asserts that these requirements are inefficient and yield low response rates, frequent errors, and long cycle times.”
The company said that the exemption, if granted, “would allow the recruiting of qualified drivers at a faster pace, decrease the administrative workload for prior employers, and, most crucially, enhance highway safety by relying on credible federal databases instead of unproductive paper processes.”
CloudTrucks added that using federal databases to validate each applicant’s background “collectively provides a more accurate and timely safety profile than what the regulations require.”
The company also outlined additional safeguards it takes to achieve a level of safety at least equivalent to what would be achieved without the exemption. These include a CloudTrucks Safety Score updated nightly that factors in ELD compliance, speeding, harsh events, inspections and more; a three-strikes program that includes coaching, suspension and termination for repeated unsafe behavior; continuous monitoring with in-cab telematics; and a zero-tolerance Clearinghouse policy that any prohibited status leads to immediate disqualification.
FMCSA is accepting comments on CloudTrucks’ request here through July 31.
[Related: New minimum-revenue guarantee program for leased owner-operators]
Boss Truck Shop opens new West Memphis location
Boss Truck Shop has opened its newest location in West Memphis, Arkansas.
Located at 400 Mound City Road just off I-40/I-55 at Exit 281, the new shop expands the company's national footprint to 44 locations, offering critical support to drivers traveling through one of the busiest freight corridors in the country, the company said.
The West Memphis location is now open and fully operational, offering a wide range of services including tire care, oil and lube, preventative maintenance, federal DOT inspections, A/C system services, and 24/7 emergency roadside assistance. The shop is designed with the professional driver in mind, the company added, and features wide service bays, ASE-certified technicians, and a clean, comfortable waiting area.
"We're excited to open our newest shop in West Memphis and provide service at a key point in the national freight network," said Jake England, Director of Boss Truck Shop. "This location strengthens our ability to serve drivers along a major corridor and reflects our continued investment in the people and routes that keep America moving."
No appointment is necessary, and all drivers -- whether independent or fleet customers -- are welcome.
