Trucking Costs Hit Record High Despite Capacity Cuts
Event summary
- The industry-average cost to operate a truck in 2025 was $2.336 per mile, up 3.4% from the previous year and the highest in ATRI's report history.
- Costs rose across all major line-items, with tolls (+13.2%), repair/maintenance (+8.6%), driver benefits (+6.6%), and tires (+6.4%) seeing the largest increases.
- Carriers reduced truck counts by 2.4% and left another 10% of trucks unseated on average in response to rising costs and stagnant rates.
- Operating margins remained poor across most sectors, with only LTLs and large fleets (>1,000 trucks) maintaining healthy but flat year-over-year margins.
The big picture
The trucking industry continues to grapple with a prolonged downturn, as evidenced by the highest operational costs in ATRI's report history. Despite significant capacity reductions, profitability remains weak across most sectors except for LTLs and large fleets. The data underscores the structural challenges facing carriers as they navigate rising costs and stagnant rates, with first-quarter 2026 trends suggesting a continuation of these pressures.
What we're watching
- Cost Discipline
- How carriers will sustain aggressive cost discipline amid accelerating industry-wide expenses.
- Freight Rate Recovery
- Whether the reported improvement in freight rates in 2026 will be sufficient to offset rising costs.
- Sector Differentiation
- The pace at which profitability gaps widen between sectors like LTLs and flatbed carriers.