What are the Largest Trucking Companies?
By Space Coast Daily // April 14, 2022
Most essential goods move about the country via complex trucking routes. About 70% of Americans rely on food and essential items delivered by trucks. The trucking industry has a market value that neared $8 billion in 2019, with nearly 1,000,000 FMCSA-registered for-hire carriers (2021).
According to the Federal Highway Administration, large trucks amounted to 5% of all registered vehicles but accounted for 9% of miles traveled (2019). PolicyAdvice.net notes that in the same year, 118,000 large truck crashes resulted in injuries.
The IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) notes that-
■ 11% of 2019’s total motor vehicle crash deaths involved large truck crashes.
■ 22% of 2019’s total motor vehicle crash death in passenger vehicles occurred in multiple-vehicle crashes.
In 2019, the IIHS reported 4,119 fatalities involving a large truck. The fatalities happened to –
■ Passenger Vehicle Occupants – 67% of the total.
■ Truck Occupants – 16% of the total.
■ Bicyclists, motorcyclists, or pedestrians – 15% of the total.
The above-noted statistics conclusively show that large trucks are involved in many accidents. These accidents take many forms and may include –
■ Rollovers
■ Tire Blowouts
■ Underride
■ Jackknifing
■ Blind Spots
■ Lost Load
■ Head-on
■ T-Bone, among others.
While trucks are an integral part of American life, they represent potential dangers to passenger vehicles, motorcycles, bicyclists, and pedestrians. The maximum weight for commercial vehicles traveling interstate highways is 80,000 GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) – local rules may vary. Their immense weight limits for these largest trucks have the potential to cause serious injuries or even fatalities.
Injured in a truck accident? The accident just may involve one of the following transportation and truck companies – some of the industry’s largest. The largest trucking companies listed below are provided in descending order according to the company’s revenue.
UPS – The United Parcel Service
2020 Revenue – $84.628 billion
Number of Employees – 534,000 (2022)
Founded in 1907 with a $100 loan as the American Messenger Company, the United Parcel Service (UPS) specializes in –
■ Shipping & Receiving that enables global commerce to more than 200 companies.
■ Supply Chain Management.
The United Parcel Service is among the most recognizable global brands. UPS delivered more than 6 million packages in 2020. With a delivery fleet that exceeds 127,000. UPS serves more than 380 domestic airports, plus more than 400 international locations, with daily flights nearing 2,000 each day.
FedEx – Federal Express Corporation
2021 Revenue – $83.959 billion
Number of Employees – 850,000 worldwide (2020)
FedEx, also known as Federal Express, was founded in the early 1970s in Little Rock. FedEx is a transportation company that also specializes in e-commerce and integrated business applications. FedEx, as a brand, is one of the world’s most trusted employers and claims its coverage includes every street in the United States.
Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, FedEx has more than 200,000 motorized vehicles that serve more than 650 airports worldwide. FedEx recently announced plans to go carbon-neutral by the year 2040. FedEx is organized into holding companies that offer office, ground, air & ocean, customs brokerage, logistics, freight, and federal express, among others.
XPO Logistics
2020 Revenue – $12.8 billion
Number of Employees – 44,000 (2021)
Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Connecticut, XPO Logistics is among the largest transportation companies across the globe. XPO Logistics operates more than 1,500 global locations in 32 countries. XPO specializes in transportation services for ‘less than truckload’ or last-mile deliveries in 18 countries. XPO Logistics fosters a responsible corporate culture, including initiatives in sustainability and diversity, and inclusion. And for the past four years, XPO Logistics has been recognized among Fortune’s most admired companies.
JB Hunt Transport Services, Inc.
2020 Revenue – $9.6 billion
Number of Employees – 120,000 (2020)
J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. is considered one of the largest and most efficient transportation logistics companies located in North America. Headquartered in Arkansas and founded more than a half-century ago, JB Hunt operates its transportation services throughout the continental U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
About two decades after its founding, JB Hunt became a public corporation. JB Hunt’s extensive network, which includes both independent truckers and company drivers, offers customized & unique operating strategies and freight movement services. Its 100,000 containers/trailers serve many Fortune 500 companies.
Landstar System
2020 Revenue – $6.54 billion
Number of Employees – 1,320 (2021)
Landstar System, Inc. (Landstar), based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a large provider of freight transportation services and supply chain solutions with minimal asset ownership. Landstar, established in the late 1960s, uses a network of third-party providers (more than 11,000) throughout its covered areas of North and Central America, as well internationally.
Landstar, which emphasizes safe transportation services, operates an insurance subsidiary in addition to its logistical transportation services. Landstar employs more than 1,200 agents to manage their North American and Global services operations.
Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.
2020 Revenue – $5.53 billion
Number of Employees – 28,000 (2021)
Established in 1990, Knight-Swift is a Phoenix-based motor carrier hold company. It is among the largest trucking companies in the United States that move general commodities.
Knight-Swift operates more than 11,000 trailers and 4,000 trucks, connected by 25 terminals. Its affiliates add another 64,000+ trailers, 28 terminals, and 15,000+ trucks to support its national networked services. Its services include logistics, flatbed, refrigerated, dry van, intermodal, port, and expedited shipping, among others. Knight-Swift’s delivery fleet is considered among the nation’s safest.
Old Dominion Freight Line
2021 Revenue – $5.256 billion
Number of Employees – 19,779 (2020)
Old Dominion Freight Line, established nearly nine decades ago, is a transportation industry leader with its headquarters in Thomasville, North Carolina. Old Dominion Freight Line provides services on a national basis that include air transportation and logistics.
The company, which began with one truck moving goods from Richmond to Norfolk, Virginia, specializes in LTL (less-than-truckload) services regionally and nationally. Old Dominion Freight Line maintains about 250 service centers and operates more than 40,000 trailers and tractors.
Yellow Corporation – YRC Worldwide
2020 Revenue – $4.51 billion
Number of Employees – 30,000 (2021)
Founded during the late-1920s, Yellow Corporation/YRC Worldwide is a holding company headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. Its subsidiaries also include Holland, New Penn, YRC Freight, and Reddaway, among others. The company operates more than 300 terminals which ship more than 17 million packages each year. Yellow Corporation is recognized to be a part of the biggest less-than-truckload network alliance, which helps with pricing and efficiency.
TFI International
2020 Revenue – $3.484 billion
Number of Employees – 29,500+ (2022)
TFI International, which was founded in 1957, is a Canadian-based transportation and logistics company. TFI International covers North America – from Mexico to Canada. The company’s four core service divisions (and more than eighty operating companies) that include logistics, LTL (less-than-truckload), package & courier, and truckload. TFI has expanded in footprint through the acquisition of more than 180 companies over the past 25 years. TFI International manages more than 570 facilities throughout its network.
Estes Express Lines
2020 Revenue – $3.1 billion
Number of Employees – 20,000 (2022)
Estes Express Lines (EEL) is a Richmond-based global transportation provider that is recognized to be the largest LTL (less-than-truckload) company that is privately held. In addition, Estes Express Lines, a nationally recognized transportation company, provides offshore services to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Alaska, among others. Estes Express Lines operates 250+ terminals in North America, 8,000+ tractors, and 32,500+ trailers.
The trucking industry is enormous and very much an integral part of the lifestyle of every American. With more than 300 billion miles traveled by registered trucks in 2019, there is always a likelihood of an accident, especially for passengers in cars, lighter-weight-smaller vehicles, motorcyclists, and pedestrians.
If you or someone you know/love has been injured in a truck accident, it is important to seek medical help and legal guidance to ensure your legal rights are protected.
