Truck driver turnover rate: the published numbers, and what they measure

"Turnover is 90%" is one of the most repeated numbers in trucking, and one of the most misunderstood. It describes large truckload carriers over a long period, in one association's survey. Other segments run far lower, and the latest broad survey shows a very different number. This page puts the published figures side by side, with what each one measures.

Updated October 2026. Every figure links to its source. We don't publish our own turnover estimates.

Turnover rates at a glance

• Large truckload carriers: 92.7% average annualized turnover, Q3 1996 to Q1 2023 (ATA data) National Academies (2024), P…Long-run turnover by segment (ATA data, via National Academies)Large TL 92.7%, small TL 77.6% (Q3 1996 to Q1 2023); LTL linehaul 11.8%; private fleets 15%National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Pay and Working Conditions in the Long-Distance Truck and Bus Industries (2024), chapter 3: ATA survey averages of annualized turnover were 92.7% for truckload carriers with $30 million or more in revenue and 77.6% for those under $30 million (Q3 1996 to Q1 2023); LTL linehaul drivers averaged 11.8% (Q4 2000 to Q1 2022); NPTC private carrier members averaged 15% (2005 to 2022). In 2009 and 2010 large and small TL carriers reported 39% and 35%; from Q3 2012 rates rose to 106% and 94%. The report notes ATA's sample is self-selected and of unknown representativeness.National Academies (2024), Pay and Working Conditions in the Long-Distance Truck and Bus Industries, ch. 3, 2024Checked Oct 2026Close.
• Smaller truckload carriers: 77.6% over the same period.
• LTL linehaul: 11.8%; private fleets: 15% long-run averages.
• ATRI survey respondents: 44.2% in 2025, down from 48% in 2024 ATRI, Analysis of the Operat…Driver turnover, ATRI respondents44.2% in 2025, down from 48% in 2024Industry-average truck driver turnover among carriers responding to ATRI's 2026 Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking (2025 data), as reported in trade coverage of the report (HDT/Truckinginfo and FreightWaves, July 2026). ATRI respondents are for-hire carriers of many sizes; the figure is not split by fleet size in that coverage.ATRI, Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking: 2026 Update, 2025Checked Oct 2026Close.
• Pay and home time are the top reasons drivers leave, according to research summarized by the National Academies National Academies (2024), P…What drives turnover (National Academies)Pay level and variability, unpaid time, and the amount and predictability of home timeNational Academies (2024), chapter 3: human resource firms cited put pay (level, variability, unpaid time) and time at home (amount and variability) as the top reasons drivers leave; drivers assigned to one shipper for a long period leave at lower rates than randomly dispatched drivers at the same pay; higher piece rates are associated with lower turnover; referral hires appear less likely to leave.National Academies (2024), Pay and Working Conditions in the Long-Distance Truck and Bus Industries, ch. 3, 2024Checked Oct 2026Close.

Turnover by segment

• Large truckload ($30M+ revenue), 1996 to 202392.7%
• Small truckload (under $30M), 1996 to 202377.6%
• ATRI survey respondents, 202448%
• ATRI survey respondents, 202544.2%
• Private fleets (NPTC members), 2005 to 202215%
• LTL linehaul, 2000 to 202211.8%

The data table

What the numbers do and don't measure

Turnover counts drivers who leave a carrier, not drivers who leave trucking. A driver who switches from one carrier to another counts as turnover at the first carrier. Much of truckload turnover is drivers moving between companies.

The ATA figures come from a self-selected survey. The National Academies noted that ATA doesn't report how many carriers or employees its survey covers, so how representative it is isn't known.

Fleet size splits are limited. ATA's data separates carriers above and below $30 million in revenue, which is still far larger than a five-truck fleet. No published series we found reports turnover for fleets of one to ten trucks.

The market moves turnover. In recession years, turnover dropped sharply (39% and 35% in 2009 to 2010), then rose above 100% at large carriers once freight recovered. The 2025 drop in ATRI's survey came during a soft freight market with fewer open jobs.

Sources disagree because they measure different things. A 44% average across many kinds of carriers and a 93% long-run average for large truckload fleets can both be accurate.

Why drivers leave

Research summarized by the National Academies points to two clusters: pay (its level, how much it varies, and unpaid time such as waiting at docks), and home time (how much, and how predictable). Drivers assigned to one shipper for a long time left at lower rates than drivers dispatched wherever freight appeared, even at the same pay. Drivers hired through referrals appeared less likely to leave.

Those findings fit what small fleets often see: drivers leave over weeks that don't pay what they expected, waits that eat their hours, and home time that keeps slipping. Long waits at shippers are one of the biggest sources of unpaid time; see dwell time in trucking.

What turnover costs a small fleet

For a fleet of five trucks, one driver leaving is 20% of the workforce. The costs add up quickly: recruiting, the hiring file and drug test, orientation, a truck sitting idle until a replacement starts, and often lost freight from a customer who depended on that unit.

Use the driver turnover cost calculator to estimate your own cost per departure from your numbers, rather than an industry average.

EXAMPLE A five-truck regional carrier loses two drivers in a year. Each truck sits about three weeks before a replacement starts. Using its own revenue per truck per week and recruiting costs in the calculator, the owner finds the two departures cost more than a year of the pay raise drivers had asked for.

How to measure your own turnover

Industry averages tell you little about your fleet. Measure your own the same way every year:

1. Count departures. Every driver who left during the year, for any reason, voluntary or not.
2. Find the average number of drivers. Add your driver count at the start of each month and divide by 12.
3. Divide and multiply by 100. Departures divided by average drivers, times 100, is your annual turnover rate.

EXAMPLE A fleet averages 6 drivers over the year and 3 drivers leave. Turnover is 3 divided by 6, times 100: 50%. In a small fleet, one departure moves the rate a lot, so look at the reasons behind each one as well as the percentage.

Track the reason for each departure too: pay, home time, equipment, a dispute, a better offer, retirement, or a termination. After two or three years, the pattern will tell you where to spend money.

Questions to ask about any turnover figure

• Which carriers does it cover? Large truckload, LTL, private fleets or a mix?
• Which years? A recession year and a boom year can differ by half.
• Who collected it, and how? Survey of members, survey of respondents, or a full count?
• Is it annualized? Quarterly figures are often multiplied up to an annual rate.
• Does it count drivers leaving the industry, or just changing carriers?

If a source can't answer these, treat the number with care.

From the turnover number to a fix

For hiring, see truck driver recruiting. For strategies backed by research, see driver retention strategies that work. For running the fleet when a seat is empty, see truck fleet management. And if turnover is a persistent problem, a trucking consultant can review pay and scheduling.

Next update: when ATRI or ATA publishes new turnover figures.