Local General Freight Trucking

The 43,570 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.

Sep 24, 2026 - Private Fleets Gain Ground as Trucking Costs Rise

• US shippers are putting more freight on their own trucks as for-hire capacity tightens and trucking costs rise. About 71% of companies surveyed by the National Private Truck Council plan to expand their private fleets, which increased freight volume 9.1% last year. Shippers aren’t abandoning outside carriers, but they are using their own trucks to gain more control over service and provide leverage when negotiating rates. The strategy has become more attractive as dry-van spot market truck postings run about 30% below year-ago levels and spot rates climb 30% to 40%. Private fleets also give companies more options for dealing with higher fuel costs and supply chain disruptions. Technology is helping make those fleets more efficient, with routing systems, transportation management software, and AI allowing shippers to better coordinate their own trucks with for-hire capacity.
• Rising diesel prices can hit local trucking companies especially hard, where fuel is often one of the biggest expenses and smaller fleets have less room to absorb sudden increases. Trucking operators interviewed by WJAC TV in Johnstown, Pennsylvania said fuel had overtaken driver pay as their largest cost, while higher prices for tires and parts were adding to the squeeze. Fuel surcharges allow carriers to pass along some of the increase, but there can be a 30- to 90-day lag before higher rates catch up with higher costs, creating a cash-flow crunch in the meantime. The economics can get particularly difficult for small carriers and independent truckers, who may have to turn down loads that no longer pay enough to cover fuel and other expenses. Even after diesel prices retreat from a spike, that sensitivity remains a challenge for local operators working with relatively thin margins.
• The surge in intermodal shipping is taking business away from long-haul trucking, but it could create opportunities for local freight carriers. Domestic intermodal container volumes are up 10% from a year ago, according to FreightWaves SONAR, as shippers take advantage of rail rates that are about 34% cheaper than trucking. Those containers still need trucks at either end of the rail journey, creating demand for drayage and short-haul moves between rail terminals, warehouses, and distribution centers. Intermodal activity has remained well above historical averages this summer, with some of the strongest demand on routes of 550 to 1,500 miles, according to C.H. Robinson. For local carriers near major rail hubs, the shift could mean more container work even as traditional long-haul truckload volumes remain soft, although congestion and tighter drayage capacity could complicate operations during the peak shipping season.
• Tariff-related freight volatility is adding to the pressure on US shippers, which are increasingly using short-term “mini-bid” contracts as tightening truck capacity, rising rates, and failing routing guides make annual freight contracts less dependable. Shifting trade flows and tariff-driven swings in import volumes have made freight demand harder to predict, while available trucking capacity continues to shrink. Rather than rebidding entire networks, shippers are targeting specific regions or lanes to quickly secure dependable capacity, with Knight-Swift, Werner, and J.B. Hunt reporting increased mini-bid activity. JOC’s Truckload Capacity Index fell 1.1 percentage points to 78.7 in the second quarter as large carriers limited fleet expansion. Unlike recent years, when off-cycle bids often sought lower prices, today’s mini-bids are primarily about securing trucks, and FTR expects contract rates to continue rising through the third quarter of 2027.

Industry size & Structure

A typical local general freight trucking company operates out of a single location, employs an average of 7 workers, and generates about $1.4 million annually.

• The local general freight trucking industry consists of about 43,570 companies, which employ about 317,250 workers and generate about $61.3 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.