ATRI Report shows trucking profitability severely squeezed by high costs, low rates

TRI has released the 2025 findings of its leading costs and performance benchmarking report, An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking.

The industry’s average cost of operating a truck in 2024 was $2.260 per mile, a 0.4 percent decline compared with the previous year. However, when lower fuel costs are excluded, marginal costs rose 3.6 percent to $1.779 per mile – the highest costs ever recorded by ATRI for non-fuel operating costs.

Operating cost trends varied by line-item in 2024. Fuel as well as 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 percent, half a percentage point less than inflation. Given the present trucking industry recession, carriers were particularly hard-hit by growing costs in several line-items, including truck and trailer payments (which rose by 8.3 percent to a record-high $0.390 per mile) and driver benefits costs (which rose 4.8 percent to $0.197 per mile).

Carrier profitability suffered across all industry sectors under these pressures, as the findings show in stark detail. Average operating margins were below 2 percent in every sector aside from LTL, and the truckload sector had an average operating margin of -2.3 percent.

ATRI has released new research detailing a notable demographic shift in the U.S. truck driver workforce. The research examines how broader societal and labor force trends are reshaping the industry and presents strategies for motor carriers to engage younger, more diverse, and historically underrepresented populations. The research is organized into two key phases:

1. chronological changes in truck driver demographics; and
2. pathways into trucking careers for former foster youth and justice-involved individuals.

The report offers a comprehensive analysis of the industry’s most pressing workforce challenges, including an aging driver population, low female representation — women currently comprise just 4.1 percent of truck drivers — and shifting employment models. With the average truck driver now 47 years old and retirements accelerating, the research emphasizes the need to modernize recruitment messaging to better resonate with younger generations. Overall, the research provides a roadmap to help carriers enhance recruitment, improve retention, and build a more resilient driver workforce.

The report also highlights opportunities to expand access to trucking careers for individuals from historically underrepresented backgrounds, particularly former foster care youth and justice-involved individuals. These groups may face unique challenges, but with the right support, trucking can offer a stable and rewarding career path.