Trucking News · Nationwide · November 12, 2026

The Smallest Trucking Companies Have Lost About 36,000 Tractors Since 2023

By Big Rig Daily Staff

America's smallest trucking companies have lost about 36,000 trucks since 2023. That is carriers running one to six trucks, the owner-operators and family fleets, according to a FreightWaves analysis.

The numbers

In early 2023, carriers with one to six power units ran close to 398,000 tractors. Now the count is about 362,000. That is roughly 9% of the segment gone in three and a half years, about the size of the pandemic-era boom.

Why it is happening

The short answer is cost. Running a truck hit a record $2.336 a mile in 2025, according to the American Transportation Research Institute figures cited by FreightWaves. Then diesel set records this year.

At six or seven miles per gallon, diesel above $6 a gallon works out to roughly a dollar a mile in fuel alone. Many small carriers never see a fuel surcharge at all, because surcharges mostly come with contract freight, not spot loads.

Insurance also lands hardest on the smallest operators, FreightWaves notes, because a carrier with one or two trucks has the least room to negotiate.

The twist

A lot of those trucks never left the road. They just changed whose name is on the door. Some owner-operators gave up their own authority and leased on with larger carriers, bringing the truck along. Others sold their trucks, often to fleets a size or two larger, according to the analysis.

Why it matters to truckers

Rates are not the main problem for many small carriers right now; costs are rising faster than rates. Knowing a true cost per mile matters more than ever. For a side-by-side look at the choices, see owner-operator vs. company driver.

A question for readers

What finally pushes an owner-operator to give up his own authority and lease on with someone else?

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