Private fleets in U.S. are paying drivers more and running fewer miles per truck, all while keeping equipment younger than ever before, according to the National Private Truck Council’s (NPTC) 2025 Benchmarking Survey Report.
The average annual mileage per heavy-duty unit dropped to 80,400 miles – the lowest in survey history – while average driver pay climbed to a record $91,081 (all numbers US) and Class 8 power units were traded in at just 568,000 miles, the lowest replacement mileage ever recorded.
“The main point that I’d like to bring out here is that private fleets are capturing enhanced control over the supply chain,” said Tom Moore, general editor and author of the report, during a media call presenting the findings. “I think for many years, we’ve been a cost and service, customer service community, and now we’re talking about adding value back into those corporations that operate private fleets as an extension of their primary business.”
Market share stabilizing at ‘a new plateau’
Moore said the private fleet community is strong, coming off a year in which private fleets really exercised their market dominance, seizing a record share of outbound freight movements. Private fleets continue to position themselves as a value-added transportation element, he added, saying it is seen by increased levels of shipments, volume and value.
In 2024, the private fleet share of outbound freight movements fell from a record 75% in 2023 to about 70%, but he called the figure part of “a new level, a new plateau” that sits well above pre-pandemic norms.
“For years, outbound market share percolated between 67 and 68% just like clockwork,” he said. “So… yes, [this year] we gave a little bit back, but we’re still ahead of the pre-pandemic levels. And I think that’s going to be the new norm for us.”
Inbound freight share also rebounded to 43%, as private fleets turned their attention to capturing more inbound freight after years of focusing primarily on outbound movements. Moore said advances in data analysis and routing technology are helping fleets “apply some of the same strategies we’ve benefited from on the outbound side” to optimize inbound loads.
Wegmans Food Markets’ transportation safety manager David Barth said on the call that the company has taken a more measured approach in deciding which inbound freight to haul, factoring in dwell time and driver schedules. “We’re sharpening our pencil a bit. We’re making decisions a little more frugally when it comes to the inbound side of the business and really challenging ourselves to make sure that it fits with our outbound plan, because at the end of the day, really, that’s where we want to place our focus. Inbound is important. Still, if it doesn’t line up with the driver’s workday, you have to start making some decisions,” he said. “On the outbound side, that kind of 70/30 split is really what we found to be our sweet spot.”
Mike Schwersenska, vice president of transportation at Brakebush Transportation, said that only about 45% of their outbound volume is managed by their fleet, and this percentage can change based on their customer mix. For example, if a big customer manages their own freight, it would decrease the responsibility of Mike’s team and logistics group. He added that inbound-related decisions in their fleet are closely tied to the company’s highly time-sensitive supply chain. Brakebush hauls fresh poultry, which has only a seven to eight-day window from processing to delivery.
“It’s very imperative that we manage [shipments] and get it to where it needs to be in a timely fashion,” Schwersenska said. “We’ve designed our network both on the outbound side to get us to those places… we’ve kind of pick and choose through our available shipments to get us to supply loads, or we actually call for some other outside customers — like another producer — to get our trucks in that particular location to pick up those supply loads.”
Moving closer to customers, running fewer miles
Moore said one of the most important trends in this year’s report is the continued growth in the number of locations private fleets operate from. “Our averages have reached the highest level ever. And again, about a third of our members report that that level continues to increase year over year,” he said. “The main message here is that most of our members are moving closer to the customer, and that has impact in terms of other elements of the operation… it gets the drivers home a little bit more frequently as we move closer to the customer.”
This shift causes a historic drop in mileage. Moore noted that average annual miles for heavy-duty units have fallen by nearly 5,000 from last year, reaching just 80,000 – yet another lowest level ever recorded in the survey.
Truck ownership and rental trends
When it comes to equipment assets, ownership remains the preferred approach among private fleets, with 45% of carriers owning 90% or more of their heavy-duty power units, compared to 38% or 40% reported over the last couple of years. Leasing accounts for 28%, with the rest using a mix of owned and leased equipment.
Jim Lager, executive vice-president at Penske Truck Leasing, said that in the current market conditions – too much capacity and a freight recession – fleets are being forced to look at different equipment strategies.
The leasing trend, for example, follows the market cycle, he explained. “Back in 2021, when things were really tight, people had trouble getting equipment. You saw leasing go up, and rental go up with it. Dealers were having trouble getting inventory. The manufacturers were having trouble producing enough,” he said. “We’re on the opposite end of that spectrum today, where there is plenty of vehicle availability, plenty of equipment. And so you see that shift a little bit here… I think we’re going to be living in this environment for a while longer before we see things tighten up.”
Rental activity has also declined to just under a quarter of fleets, with an average rental fleet size of 12. But prior to the last survey, a third of respondents reported being involved in the rental market over the past few years. Moore called it a reflection of a “cautious environment” as fleets match assets more closely to freight needs.
Maintenance trends and shorter equipment trade cycles
Maintenance outsourcing hit its highest level ever, too, with 41% of fleets spending 90% or more of their maintenance dollars externally — mostly with leasing companies and OEMs. Just 17% now handle all maintenance in-house, the lowest share ever recorded as well.
Meanwhile, Class 8 trade cycles extended slightly to 6.6 years, but Moore stressed that replacement mileage accelerated to about 568,000 miles — for both owned and leased equipment — reflecting a strategy to cycle equipment out before major maintenance is required. “That says to me that we are using that warranty for maintenance as a strategy,” he explained. The average age of power units across the surveyed fleets is under 4.5 years.
Meanwhile, Moore noted that most trailer types — including vans, flatbeds, and bulk trailers — are seeing largely stable or slightly extended trade cycles, with only modest changes from previous years. Refrigerated trailers remain the outlier, with an average age of just 7.2 years, the youngest in the history of the survey.
Driver turnover improved to 18.4% overall. “Our private fleets are doing a better job of understanding the true cost of turnover,” Moore said, adding that pay remains a key retention tool among the carriers, with average earnings climbing past $90,000 and maximum pay averaging $135,000.
Private fleets also continue to set the safety benchmark, with DOT recordable accidents at 0.49 per million miles — three times safer than the industry at large — and the lowest Lost Time Injury Rate in survey history. “If [the fleet] is not safe, it’s not going to be efficient, and none of the other metrics really matter that much,” Moore said.
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