Private Fleets 2021: Still creating competitive advantage

摘要

PepsiCo, Sysco, Walmart, Halibur-ton and Tyson Foods are household names in America, and they all run successful private trucking fleets. An often-overlooked sector of the $700 billion overall trucking industry, the private-fleet niche accounts for roughly one-half of that market, or 48.1 %-a share that would place private fleet annual revenue at nearly $350 billion. So, what does that private fleet market look like as were rolling through recovery? According to FleetSeek.com, a proprietary database of trucking operations, there are 344,657 private fleets currently operating in the United States-compared to 169,498 for-hire carriers and 203,068 independent owner operators. And while the vast majority of all trucking operators are very small fleets-with fewer than 10 trucks-all three categories of trucking are on a growth path for 2021. While National Private Truck Council (NPTC) members range from small to large, they typically average nearly 300 drivers, tractors and straight trucks; have just shy of 1,000 trailers; and operate out of 41 terminal locations. So, in an era of complex transportation solutions and operations, what's driving companies to increase or decrease their private fleet capacity? Two key words to remember are "service" and "capacity." According to the NPTC, private fleets are increasing their capacity for three major reasons: 1.to meet increased consumer demand for their products; 2.to maintain high levels of customer service; and 3.to mitigate transportation costs by further expanding the private fleet and reducing dependence on outside carriers charging ever-higher rates.