There were only 1,000 more truck transportation workers being counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in June compared to the number the agency counted in April.
In four of the last five months, the number of truck transportation jobs reported by the BLS fell, including a 1,300 decline for June, reported Thursday morning by the agency
But in April, truck transportation jobs rose by 5,100. Combine that with changes earlier in the year and the end result is that the June figure of 1,466,600 jobs was just 1,000 higher than what was reported in January. It also means that the number of workers in the truck transportation sector has not been able to recover from a brutal 2025, when the figure opened the year at 1,493,100 jobs and closed it at 1,467,200 jobs, slightly higher than where they stand today.
David Spencer, vice president of market intelligence at Arrive Logistics, said the slow growth in truck transportation employment has been several years in the marking. “The decline in trucking employment amid the elevated rate environment illustrates the lasting impact multiple years of poor trucking conditions has had on carriers,” Spencer said in an email to FreightWaves. “Increased regulatory pressure is adding fuel to the fire, creating real driver availability problems. Elevated operating costs and a shifting landscape are limiting carriers’ ability to grow. The challenges are real, and continued rate increases may be needed to facilitate carrier’s being able to generate enough cashflow for carriers to recruit, hire and retain drivers.” Aaron Terrazas, an independent economist with a background in trucking, noted that the month-to-month decline of truck transportation jobs recorded for June–down 1,300 jobs–came about primarily because of downward revisions for April and May. “The consumer economy has been resilient but fragile — with retail spending better than worst-case scenarios, but it is largely being supported by non-discretionary spending,” he said in an…