- Business conditions in November were down across the board from October, with small carriers less optimistic than larger carriers. Overall, 28.4% of respondents said business was better or much better and 35.0% saying it was the same. 34.2% of respondents with more than 100 power units said business was better in November vs. October, compared to 18.2% of respondents with up to 100 power units. Conversely, 45.5% of respondents with up to 100 power units said business conditions were worse in November vs. October, compared to 31.6% of respondents with more than 100 power units.
- 6% of all respondents said May business conditions were better than May 2013 (including 68.4% of larger fleet respondents), and 66.7% expect business to be better or much better in the next six months, adjusting for seasonality.
- 7% of respondents plan to increase the size of their fleets – 45.5% of respondents with up to 100 power units, 47.4% of respondents with more than 100 power units – and 40.0% of all respondents plan to replace aging equipment without changing fleet size over the next six months.
- Driver availability again comes in as the top concern at 78.3% for all respondents, followed by freight pricing (5.0%) and the political climate in Washington (3.3%).
