Local General Freight Trucking NAICS 484110

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Industry Summary
The 43,240 local general freight trucking companies in the US provide truckload (TL) and less than truckload (LTL) transportation services within cities and over short distances with drivers returning home each night. Trucking firms transport a wide variety of goods, but the majority is boxed or palletized. Local routes are typically less than 150 miles.
Failure to Meet Safety Requirements
Failure to meet safety regulations can result in investigations, fines, loss of license, and idled vehicles.
Emergence of Online Freight Coordinators
The local freight trucking industry is benefiting from online sites, like Uber Freight and TruckLoads, that match shippers and distribution centers with local freight carriers.
Recent Developments
Aug 21, 2025 - Shipping Volume and Customer Spending Tick Up in Q2
- The freight trucking industry increased both volume of shipped goods and spending in Q2 2025 for the first time in three years, a welcome bright spot for an industry having a tough year of tariff woes and overall economic unease. The US Bank National Shipments Index rose 2.4% from Q1, while the National Spend Index grew 1.2%. All five regional trends also improved shipment volume over Q1, with the Southwest leading the way at 6.7%. While positive in the short term, the year-over-year results still show a shrinking industry - shipments down 9.8% and spending dropping 4.9% compared to Q2 2024. Amid an economic environment of uneven manufacturing activity, marginal consumer spending growth, and an up and down housing market, industry experts caution that the positive financial results could be from lower trucking capacity rather than higher demand from customers.
- Autonomous trucks being tested in select markets in the US are now driving at night, extending beyond daytime, and primarily hauling food and other products that need refrigeration. Startup Aurora Innovation operates driverless trucks in Texas on a Houston-Dallas route, and has upgraded its technology to allow the trucks to “see” better at night, a significant challenge for the nascent rigs. About a dozen states allow autonomous trucks on the road, but there are no consistent federal regulations on their use, leaving rulemaking up to a patchwork of state oversight. Autonomous trucks hauling goods at night have the potential to shake up the entire long-haul transportation industry. Companies will be able to leave exhausting, long-haul runs to the driverless trucks, allowing younger drivers and newly licensed drivers to focus more on local deliveries, improving work-life balance for drivers and squelching burnout.
- Trucking companies expect freight demand to remain flat this year as the industry heads into its busiest time of the year when retailers load up on back-to-school and holiday products. Whipsawing US tariff policies causing fast shifts in import and inventory volume hit trucking hard in a year when the industry expected to make a comeback from a three-year decline. The Cass Freight Index, which measures US shipping demand, fell 4% year over year in May as companies who stocked up on inventory ahead of tariffs now have less use for freight transportation, squelching demand. The overall effect is sinking freight rates, with the average contract rate for May at $2.36 a mile, down 7 cents from the previous year. The industry is also pulling back on investments with orders for heavy duty trucks in May falling to one of the lowest levels in two years, per ACT Research.
- The trucking industry still struggles with the Great Freight Recession as bankruptcies for trucking and logistics companies continue to creep higher in 2025 as a result of the US trade war. Trucking saw a marked increase in bankruptcies so far in Q2, with about 17 freight carriers either going out of business or attempting to reorganize. So far this year there have been a total of about 20-25 total trucking companies declaring bankruptcy. Large and small, or regional or national, no carrier is immune to the decline in available freight from tariffs on imported goods. One week in June alone saw three major carriers file for relief - Dolce Truckload, Contract Managed Services, and GD Transport. Other carriers have simply shut down without filing or explanation, including Illinois-based LTI Trucking and Florida’s Davis Express, both in April. Industry analysts expect the trend to continue if progress isn’t made on trade policies.
Industry Revenue
Local General Freight Trucking

Industry Structure
Industry size & Structure
A typical local general freight trucking company operates out of a single location, employs an average of five workers, and generates about $1.2 million annually.
- The local general freight trucking industry consists of about 43,240 companies, which employ about 262,000 workers and generate about $54.6 billion annually.
- The industry is fragmented with the 50 largest firms representing just 10% of revenue.
- Firms range from the small operations that serves a single local area using few owned trucks, to large firms that operate a network of locations across the nation using leased vehicles and servicing many local markets.
- About two dozen large firms have networks of 10 or more establishments, which are regionally or nationally dispersed to serve specific cities.
- Large companies include Jack Hood Transportation, Holland, Reddaway, New Penn, Cowan and EPES.
Industry Forecast
Industry Forecast
Local General Freight Trucking Industry Growth

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