“Private fleets are capturing enhanced control over the supply chain,” said Tom Moore, executive vice president of the National Private Truck Council. “I think for many years, we've been a cost and customer service-focused community, and now we're talking about adding value back into those corporations that operate private fleets as an extension of their primary business.”
This year’s survey found that private fleets handled 70% of outbound freight moves, down from last year’s 75%. “We gave a little bit back, but we’re still at pre-pandemic levels,” Moore said. “For years and years, that outbound market share percolated between 67% and 68% just like clockwork.”
The number of inbound movements private fleets handle increased to 43% from 35% last year. Historically, private fleets have proven their value proposition on the outbound side of the business. However, the increased visibility, the ability to analyze the data and other strategies that have been beneficial on the outbound side of the business are giving fleets more control over costs and service on inbound moves.
Moore presented the results of the 2025 National Private Truck Council Benchmarking Survey recently. He was joined by Gary Petty, NPTC’s CEO; Jim Lager, executive vice president of sales and rental for Penske Truck Leasing; Mike Schwersenska, general manager of Brakebush Transportation; and David Barth, transportation safety manager at Wegmans.
Tracking Key Performance Indicators
NPTC's Benchmarking Survey, which is sponsored by Penske Truck Leasing, provides metrics in several operating areas. “This is information that fleets need in order to operate efficiently and at the highest level that they can,” Lager said. “We believe firmly in as much information as you can get your hands on, and this is a great source for that.”
According to the report, annual mileage among respondents decreased to 80,400. “That's a drop of nearly 5,000 miles over last year and the lowest number we've ever achieved in the history of the survey,” Moore said.
The decrease is due, in part, to companies adding distribution centers and warehouses. Most private fleets reported operating out of multiple locations, with the average number coming in at 49, up from 44 last year. "Most of our members are moving closer to the customer, and that has an impact in terms of other elements of the operation," Moore said.
Business growth, private fleet expansion, mergers and acquisitions, and a need to create a more driver-friendly network are all driving expansion. Barth said Wegman’s is among those adding facilities. “It’s had an enormous impact on the number of miles we’re running,” he said. “It’s a conscious business decision and it’s certainly paid dividends for us.”
Fleets use a combination of leasing, ownership and rental strategies. This year, 45% of fleets reported owning 90% or more of their heavy-duty power equipment, compared to 38% last year. The percentage that leases held steady at 28% while 27% use a combination of leasing and ownership.
“This year in particular, there's a lot of equipment on the market,” Lager said, adding that shifts in capacity have a direct impact on leasing and rental demand. “In 2021, when things were really tight and people had trouble getting equipment, you saw leasing go up and rental go up with it.”
Rental activity, which increased in previous years, has decreased slightly due to slowing economic and business conditions. “It's off the highs of the last few years but still pretty strong in the grand scheme of things,” Lager said. “This is where we see the drop off first, and this is where we see it pick back up first.”
Investing in Equipment
The average age of equipment overall is under 4.4 years. The average age is higher for owned equipment—5.34 years—compared to those that lease all of their equipment—3.2 years.
Overall trade cycles for Class 8 trucks averaged 6.6 years, up from 6.1. Fleets that rely on leasing have shorter trade cycles for equipment—an average of 5.5 years versus 7.4 years for companies that own most of their equipment. Driven by trade cycles, leased fleets enjoy a fuel economy of 7.24 miles per gallon, compared to 6.84 for fleets that own most of their equipment.
Among respondents, 41% of fleets report outsourcing nearly all of their maintenance, while 17% said they conduct all or nearly all maintenance themselves, the lowest level in the history of the survey. Lager said trucks are becoming more and more difficult to diagnose and repair as they become more complex. “There's more technology on them, more computers, and it's just very hard to maintain them without a lot of scale,” he said.
Safety performance remains high among private fleets. “Private fleets are three times safer than the general trucking industry based on data reported in the FMCSA database,” Petty said.
Use of advanced technology has increased, and private fleets have invested heavily in active safety solutions. Nearly three-quarters reported adoption of a broad range of technologies. All respondents have adopted automatic transmissions, while 88% are using in-cab cameras, 86% are monitoring speed and 83% are using collision warnings.
Tackling Industry Challenges
The No. 1 challenge reported by respondents is cost, followed by driver related issues, including an aging driver population, recruiting, hiring and retention. For the third year in a row, the average age for all drivers in the survey remains just below 50 years of age, averaging 49.4 this year.
Despite the challenges, driver turnover dropped to 18.4% from 20.2%. The top three reasons drivers leave is to take another job, retirement or disciplinary issues. While it is always challenging to have drivers leave, Schwersenska said retirements are a good indicator of success overall. “I think it's a good thing when we're seeing folks that are in their mid-60s and able to retire from a driving job,” he said.
Schwersenska said he has also seen an increased focus on driver wellness since the pandemic. "We had so much freight to deliver at the time, and things were so wild on the outside that we really focused on taking better care of the drivers that we had on staff already and any of the new drivers that we brought on,” he said.
Average driver compensation increased to $91,081, up from $89,900 last year. Compensation has risen steadily since 2008, when it averaged $47,000.
Ongoing Investments
Private fleets reported that they will continue to invest in their operations, with 48% saying that they plan to add equipment or grow the size of the fleet and 28% saying they expect to handle more of the company’s freight.
“The fact of the matter is, we want our drivers handling the majority of that freight, because nobody can handle that work as well as our professional drivers,” Barth said.
Moore added that the private fleet community is strong and continues to grow stronger. “We're setting the bar higher, and every year we continue to rise above the prior year's performance, which is a testament to the professionalism of those folks running the fleets in our operation,” he said.
Penske Truck Leasing is a Penske Transportation Solutions company headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania. Solutions from Penske include full-service truck leasing, fleet maintenance, truck rentals, used trucks, and a comprehensive array of technologies to keep the world moving forward. Visit pensketruckleasing.com for more information.
By “Move Ahead” Staff