Long Distance Specialized Freight Trucking
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Industry Summary
The 10,000 long distance specialized freight trucking companies in the US offer highway hauling services for goods that are more logistically challenging to transport than standard freight. Specialized freight truckers carry cargo such as hazardous chemicals, refrigerated perishables, livestock and farm products, automobiles, bulk liquids, and refuse. Long distance truckers carry freight across state lines throughout the US and into Canada and Mexico.
High Maintenance Costs
Specialized freight trucking firms face significantly higher maintenance and repair costs than standard carriers.
Regulatory Complexity
The trucking industry is highly regulated in the areas of safety and emissions, but fast-moving technology integration is adding to the myriad of challenging legal requirements.
Recent Developments
Mar 24, 2025 - Reefer Truck Demand Climbs
- Reefer truck demand continued to be high in early 2025 after the peak retail season because of winter storm Cora, which froze a significant portion of the southeastern US. Demand for refrigerated goods rises during natural disasters as food producers try and preserve perishables. Spot rates for reefer trucks spike as a result. One of the country’s biggest reefer truck lanes - Yuma, Arizona to Los Angeles - has averaged $3.73 per mile, up 50 cents from last year. A national spike in tender rejection rates also illustrates a shortage of reefer truck supply with load rejections jumping 14% since October 2024, which is up from a low of 5.3% in 2023, according to the Reefer Truckload Index maintained by Sonar.
- The trucking industry’s transformation from diesel-powered fleets to environmentally cleaner electric versions came to an abrupt halt when the second Trump administration ended the federal government’s EV mandates in January 2025. The changes were widely expected, so much so that California - the country’s most aggressive testing ground for EV mandates - preemptively killed its new rules that would have drastically reduced emissions and boosted funding for building related charging station infrastructure. With a new government in power that is hostile towards the industry’s EV transformation, the uncertainty surrounding mandates and the expectation that the EPA will no longer support the moves throws trucking’s electric vehicle transformation effort into doubt.
- Recent trends in retail and pharmaceuticals offer unique growth opportunities for specialized trucking companies, especially those in the cold chain. Reefer trucks can benefit from the 32% rise in US frozen food sales since 2019, as well as new drugs that lose effectiveness without cold storage (Covid vaccines, Ozempic weight loss meds).
- Almost half of the entire US trucking industry are workers aged 45-64 and retirements have become a key factor in the current driver, mechanic, and technician shortages nationwide. The American Trucking Association estimates that the US will need an additional 1.2 million drivers by 2034 to keep up with demand.
Industry Revenue
Long Distance Specialized Freight Trucking
Industry Structure
Industry size & Structure
The average long distance specialized trucking company has about 15 employees and generates $5 million in revenue per year.
- The long distance specialized trucking industry consists of about 10,000 companies that employ 166,800 workers, and generate $55 billion in revenue.
- The majority of companies (about 85%) are small businesses with 20 employees or less. Only about 175 companies have 500 or more employees.
- The industry is fragmented with the 20 largest firms representing 27% of industry revenue.
- About 95% of US trucking companies operate 10 or fewer trucks.
- Large companies include Landstar Systems, Schneider International, CR England, JB Hunt Transport Services, and XPO Logistics.
Industry Forecast
Industry Forecast
Long Distance Specialized Freight Trucking Industry Growth
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