Logistics Study Offers Insight into Trucking Issues

April 3, 2015

TMW Systems’ 2014 Transportation and Logistics Study, with data and analysis on driver retention, rising rates, utilization, maintenance and other industry issues, is now available.

The latest industry benchmarking study more than doubled the number of participants with data collected from more than 130 businesses in key segments.

The study takes its information from a 200-question online survey covering financial, operational and maintenance topics.  TMW surveyed a cross-section of north American carrier and brokerage businesses representing truckload irregular, truckload dedicated and brokerage/non-asset segments.

TMW said the study is meant for businesses to compare performance against peers and provide insight into best practices and strategies.

Study results highlighted improved utilization and financial performance among several carriers, year-over-year, as well as the value in leveraging developed carrier networks to achieve stronger gross margins for brokerage and non-asset service providers.

Issues addressed by the study include:

Driver Retention - Survey responses underscore the clear relationship between driver wages and retention. Length of haul and utilization also emerged as important factors in driver turnover.

Rates - Truckload carriers in the study averaged 7-percent net rate increases, a trend of interest for brokerage and third-party logistics providers as well as shippers.

Asset Utilization - Many survey respondents successfully leveraged new technology to achieve gains in utilization. As one example, dedicated fleets that utilize planning optimization experienced an average year-over-year increase of 142 revenue miles per seated truck per week.

Fleet Maintenance - Participants reported greater difficulty in gaining visibility into equipment maintenance metrics than any other functional area, and a majority indicated they do not adequately track maintenance costs by equipment age group.

Operating Ratios and Margins - A majority of participating asset-based businesses reported operating ratios of 96 percent or lower, a healthy increase over last year’s results. Gross margin variations for brokerage and logistics service providers are also analyzed in the study according to operational mix. 

Participants in the survey receive a comprehensive version of the report with detailed response metrics for more precise benchmarking insights and KPI planning.