Trucking News · Wisconsin · October 24, 2026

Marten CEO Says Enforcement Is Pulling Unqualified Drivers Off Market

Marten Transport's chief executive says tougher enforcement of driver rules is tightening the truckload market. His own company's truckload unit still lost money in the third quarter, FreightWaves reports.

What the CEO said

"The truckload freight market has sharply tightened since earlier this year as renewed and enhanced enforcement of federal and state law is removing a meaningful amount of noncompliant and unqualified driver capacity from the marketplace," Randy Marten, chairman and CEO, said in a news release quoted by FreightWaves.

He added that Marten is "securing higher pricing from our customers for our premium services" "within these early stages of the freight market upcycle."

The numbers

According to FreightWaves, the Mondovi, Wisconsin, refrigerated carrier reported:

• Net income of $2.9 million, or 4 cents per share, a penny better than a year earlier but 2 cents below what analysts expected.
• Consolidated revenue of $223 million, up 1%.
• One-way truckload revenue up 12% to $117 million. Without fuel surcharges, it was up 4%.
• Revenue per tractor per week, without fuel, up 15% on a fleet that was 9% smaller.
• Revenue per loaded mile, without fuel, up 14% to $3.02, with deadhead down to 10.7%.

Even so, the truckload unit ran a 100.2% operating ratio without fuel, FreightWaves reports, meaning it spent slightly more than it took in.

The company said higher fuel and payroll costs, including driver pay increases, were only partly offset by gains on equipment sales. The net hit was $3.7 million.

Elsewhere, the dedicated unit's revenue without fuel fell 9% as its truck count dropped 11%, and brokerage revenue was flat at $39 million, according to FreightWaves.

Wall Street's reaction

Marten shares were down 7% in midday trading on Friday, Oct. 23, and are down 37% since a mid-June peak, FreightWaves reports. FreightWaves calls Marten a "refrigerated pure play," the only public carrier in the reefer market, which makes its results a bellwether.

Drivers who want to run their own numbers on a load can use the free load rate checker, which compares a rate with the driver's own costs.

A question for readers

The CEO says enforcement is shrinking capacity, and his truckload unit still lost money last quarter.

Are you seeing fewer drivers on your lanes, and is it showing up in your pay?

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