TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA - Top Trucking Companies Expand 9.4 Percent in 2010

Study shows 50 largest U.S. for-hire carriers increased revenue to $85.4 billion 

NJ,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by William B. Cassidy -Apr 11, 2011:  --  Combined revenue for the 50 largest U.S. motor carriers rose 9.4 percent to $85.4 billion in 2010, after shrinking 17.7 percent during the recession in 2009, according to The Journal of Commerce's list of the Top 50 Trucking Companies of 2010...  Truckload carriers outpaced other companies among the top 50, growing 11.1 percent on average last year. Parcel and same-day carriers increased revenue an average on 9.3 percent, while less-than-truckload carriers grew 6.4 percent...  It was the best performance by the companies on the list since 2004, when the for-hire carrier group increased its revenue 11.9 percent after the 2001-2003 recession. The carriers reversed four straight years of slower growth or declining revenue...  That $85.4 billion in revenue was still 10 percent lower than the group's 2008 peak revenue of $94.9 billion, a sign trucking's economic recovery is far from complete. The carriers recovered only 44 percent of a $16.8 billion revenue shortfall in 2009...  The recovery was widespread, with 42 of the Top 50 carriers increasing revenue anywhere from 1.2 percent to 28.9 percent, for an average of 12.1 percent. Mercer Transportation and Roadrunner Transportation were the fastest growing carriers...  The eight carriers that saw revenue drop last year saw their top line fall 4.3 percent on average. Revenue declined 11 percent at YRC Worldwide, the third-largest trucking operator, to $4.3 billion, according to SJ Consulting Group estimates...  (Photo from hankstruckpictures)

* Biggest Trucking Companies Get Bigger. Billion-dollar truckers outgrew smaller competitors in 2010, study shows

Sewickley,Pittsburgh,PA,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by William B. Cassidy -Apr 11, 2011: -- The select group of trucking companies with more than a billion dollars in annual revenue expanded last year, as three carriers shot past the revenue threshold... That left 16 motor carriers in trucking's billion-dollar club, according to a list of the Top 50 Trucking Companies ranked by revenue prepared by SJ Consulting Group... The billion-dollar club had combined revenue of $66.5 billion, 77.9 percent of the total revenue for the top 50 carriers. That was a 14.1 percent increase from 2009... The billion-dollar carriers outpaced the list as a whole, which increased revenue 9.4 percent last year, as the biggest carriers benefited from the recovery... The Top 50 were led by UPS and FedEx, which were the only two companies in the group with revenue exceeding $10 billion, according to SJ Consulting... The consulting firm counted only trucking revenue at the transportation giants, leaving out revenue from logistics, supply chain and air express units... In addition to UPS and FedEx, the billion-dollar club included truckload carriers, less-than-truckload carriers and an asset-light dedicated truckload operator... (Photo from assets.paragonrouting: USA truck fleet)