Texas Trucking Companies to Hold the Line on Expenditures in 2013

Report by Texas Trucking Alliance shows higher expected sales but more conservative spending

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 2012 Texas Trucking Industry Study shows Texas-based trucking companies expect faster sales growth in the first half of 2013 but generally plan to be more conservative in business expenditures during that period, according to the Texas Trucking Alliance.

“This is a positive forecast for the Texas trucking industry”

The study offers unique insight because it is based on responses from only trucking companies that have their headquarters in Texas. In the study:

• Both large and small Texas-based trucking companies were more optimistic about sales expectations than for the previous 12-month period;
• One third of companies expected to hire more truck drivers;
• 80% of companies expected to invest in safety training and personnel (up from 37%); and
• Trucking companies said they were less likely to add or replace trucks, with more large companies stating they would hold off on vehicle expenditures than smaller companies.

A large company was defined in the study as any company with 11 or more truck drivers.

“This is a positive forecast for the Texas trucking industry,” said John D. Esparza, president and CEO of Texas Motor Transportation Association (TMTA). “The development that these numbers reflect speaks directly to the vitality and essentiality of the industry and point to the many opportunities within trucking for growth and jobs.” TMTA is one of the largest state trade associations in the nation representing the trucking industry.

The Texas Trucking Alliance commissioned the 2012 Texas Trucking Industry Study to identify best practices in hiring, retention, benefits, and safety management in the Lone Star State's truck transportation industry. The study is based on a random sampling of the more than 15,000 Texas-based trucking companies.

About the Research

The 2012 Texas Trucking Industry Study is the second annual research study commissioned by the Texas Trucking Alliance (TTA). The randomized telephone survey was conducted by San Antonio-based Galloway Research Service in June 2012. It includes responses from 266 trucking company owners, CEOs and senior executives at Texas-based trucking companies in the NAICS 484 category, which includes more than 15,000 companies according to Dun & Bradstreet’s database. The research results were weighted to match the proportions of large and small companies and their geographic distributions across the state, and have a +/- 5 percent margin of error at the 90 percent confidence level. The complete study is available for purchase at tmta.com.

About the Texas Trucking Alliance

The Texas Trucking Alliance is a collaboration between Texas Motor Transportation Association, TMTA Foundation and three companies that have made a commitment to strengthening the Texas trucking industry: The Bassett Firm (Dallas), Business Financial Group (San Antonio), and SelecTransportation Resources (Houston). The alliance was created to promote best practices in the Texas trucking industry by producing distinct industry research, benchmarking performance and educating industry executives and the public on trucking trends.