The American Trucking Associations (ATA) said on Monday that in the third quarter of 2015, large truckload (LTL) carriers' annualized driver turnover rate rose 13 points to 100 percent, the highest total in the last three years.
Unfortunately, the rate for smaller truckload carriers fell to 68 percent, its lowest point in nearly four years.
“It is just one data point, so it is hard to draw any real conclusions on what is happening with turnover,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said. “However, the increase in the turnover rate at large carriers matches up with what we’ve been hearing anecdotally from fleets: that the market for drivers continues to be tight.”
During last year’s first three quarters, LTL turnover rates averaged 90 percent, which is a slight decrease from the 95 percent average in 2014.
The turnover rate for less-than-truckload fleets also declined, averaging 10 percent during the third quarter, down from 13 percent. Its average from January to September in 2015 totaled 10 percent as well, down from 11 percent compared with 2014.
“The split in the truckload turnover rates is not unusual, but may be caused by a variety and combination of factors,” Costello said. “We may likely have a clearer picture of the driver market once fourth-quarter turnover figures are in so we can better analyze any possible trend.”
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