It takes an unyielding amount of American grit to haul the U.S. economy forward. That is what the trucking industry is working harder (and getting smarter) at amid a lot of market headwinds. More than $14 trillion in goods move annually across 4 million miles of highway, carried by 1.2 million motor carriers operating 3.3 million tractor-trailers. 

Our annual Trucking by the Numbers series, which rolls out on FleetOwner.com this week, shows U.S. supply chain gears grinding through a massive transitional tug-of-war. Fleet executives are wrestling with a complex matrix of cost pressure and macroeconomic headwinds, while federal enforcement reshapes capacity and technology redefines fleet back offices.

Before you flip to first charts, graphs, and stats compiled by FleetOwner Editor Jeremy Wolfe (he’ll be sharing more data in our morning newsletters all week), here is a snapshot of the bad, the good, and the baselines facing our industry as we roll into the final quarter of another tumultuous year in transportation. 

The pressures: Costs, tariffs, and headwinds

Operational costs: Average operational trucking costs hit a record $2.336 per mile in 2025, with inflationary pressures exceeding general consumer inflation.

Specific spikes: The fastest-growing cost centers for carriers are squeezing their margins, led by a 13.2% jump in tolls, an 8.6% increase in maintenance, and a 6.6% increase in driver benefits.

Diesel surge: Average on-highway diesel prices rose more than 30% this year, topping $6/gal. nationally in September. 

Trump Tariffs: The average U.S. tariff rate has skyrocketed this year from 1.5% in 2022 to 11.8% today, impacting 54% of all goods imports. With the tariff policy changed more than 50 times since President Donald Trump took office, shippers and carriers are grappling with chronic supply chain unpredictability. Section 232 tariffs add 25% to the cost of imported heavy-duty equipment.

Nuclear verdicts: Liability risk continues to threaten fleet survival. Few things in 2026 underscored that more than a record-shattering $604 million thermonuclear verdict, affirmed by the Supreme Court, which could cascade across the fleet industry. 

Macroeconomic weakness: Broader freight demand fundamentals remain soft, with freight-intensive manufacturing production down 9.6% since 2017 and housing starts down 13.5% this year. Consumer financial health is stressed. 

Aggressive regulatory attrition: Tightened capacity from strict enforcement, rather than economic growth, is generally good. But artificially tightened capacity doesn’t generate the same organic economic tailwinds as true market demand.

Data integration bottlenecks: Despite high AI adoption, fleet leaders are still citing data integration roadblocks that include inaccurate data as a major barrier, possibly showing that back-office data quality, organization, and proper information management lag behind software investments.

Shrinking consumer buying power: Consumer financial health is stressed. The Consumer Price Index-adjusted median household income is 19% lower today than it was in 2008, while inflation-adjusted credit card debt jumped 25% this decade. Tariffs alone cost the average U.S. household $820 in 2026. 

The tailwinds: Safety, tech, and stability

Safety gains: Large truck safety metrics are improving, with fewer crashes, fewer injuries, and fewer roadway fatalities, according to the latest data. Overall, U.S. motor vehicle deaths in 2026 are tracking nearly 10% lower than last year. 

Data center boom: While residential housing starts are slumping, digital infrastructure is booming. Last year, U.S. businesses spent nearly $50 billion on data center construction, driving strong demand for flatbed carriers.

Private fleet stability: Corporate transportation departments continue to prove their resilience, expanding freight volume by 7.8% in 2025. Private fleets maintain a remarkably low driver turnover rate (17.1%) and DOT recordable accident rate (0.65).

Rate rebound: Broker spot rates have good momentum this year, averaging 3.4% monthly increases since October 2025. 

Tech adoption: Fleet executives are leaning into innovation, with nearly 90% of heavy-duty fleets using some form of generative AI and 60% of shippers using real-time shipment tracking.

Fuel efficiency gains: Fleets achieved a slight operational efficiency gain in 2025, averaging 7.43 mpg. 

The baseline: Scale, structure, and freight

Industry fragmentation: About 1.23 million active motor carriers operate in the U.S., with more than half operating just one truck, highlighting that small operations still dominate trucking.

Macroeconomic footprint: Truck transportation contributed more than $1 trillion to the U.S. GDP in 2025.

National mileage scale: Tractor-trailers traveled some 192 billion miles in 2024, across our nation’s sprawling network of 4.2 million miles of highway.

Alternative powertrain niche: Alternative fuel commercial trucks account for a little more than 4% of registered equipment, led heavily by natural gas powertrains. Battery-electric trucks make up just 0.43% of registered power units.

For-hire turnover: Average annual driver turnover continues to hover around 45%.

Commodity breakdown: By freight weight, bulk and low-value goods such as gravel and cereal grains dominate the industry. Mixed freight, electronics, and motor vehicles drive freight value.