People in the United States depend on the trucking industry more than they may realize. Nearly every major industry utilizes trucking to maintain its supply chain. Trucking companies are used very frequently in the United States to transport everything from packages, food, medicine, electronics, and other goods used in everyday life. According to the American Trucking Association, in 2022, trucks moved 11.46 billion tons of freight, which collected 80.7% of the nation’s freight bill and generated $940.8 billion in revenue. While most trucking carriers are small companies, there are a few major trucking companies that generate most of the industry’s revenue. Below, we will cover some of the biggest trucking companies in the U.S.
UPS Inc.
UPS Inc. was founded in 1907 in Seattle, Washington, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company started as the American Messenger Company, a small messenger and delivery company, and has since grown to become a Fortune 500 company. UPS Inc. is now one of the world’s biggest courier companies, with over 500,000 employees. UPS Inc. operates over 120,000 vehicles globally, including anywhere from 20,000 to 25,000 tractor-trailers in the United States. In 2024, the company reported a full-year revenue of $91.1 billion, the most of any trucking company in the United States. Due to their size, hundreds of UPS truck accidents are reported yearly.
FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. was founded in 1971, with its headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was established under the name Federal Express Corporation, which was later shortened to FedEx Corp., with the goal of addressing air-to-ground delivery system inefficiencies. FedEx Corp. is one of the largest private employers globally, employing over 600,000 people worldwide. FedEx Corp. operates over 180,000 vehicles in its global fleet, including around 12,000 to 15,000 tractor-trailers in the United States alone. Hundreds of accidents involving FedEx trucks happen in the United States each year. The company is considered the second largest trucking company, behind UPS Inc., and reported generating nearly $88 billion in revenue in the 2024 fiscal year.
XPO Logistics
XPO Logistics was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut. XPO Logistics is considered one of the leading providers of supply chain solutions in transportation and logistics and is one of the largest logistics companies in the world. Additionally, XPO Logistics is one of the largest less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation providers in the United States. Currently, the company has around 44,000 employees in the United States. XPO Logistics operates over 18,000 trucks in the United States, with 6,000 to 8,000 being tractor-trailers. The company reported generating a revenue of $8.09 billion in the 2024 fiscal year.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.
Founded in 1961, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. is one of the largest and most well-known transportation companies in the United States. Based in Lowell, Arkansas, the company was initially founded as a regional trucking company in the Mid-South but expanded to reach the entire nation over time. J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. currently employs nearly 33,000 employees and operates a fleet of around 12,000 vehicles in the United States. Of their estimated 12,000 vehicles, 2,500 to 3,000 of them are tractor-trailers that the company uses for truckload and dedicated contract services. J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.’s annual revenue for 2024 was $12.087 billion, a 5.79% decrease from 2023.
Knight- Swift Transport Services
Knight-Swift Transport Services was founded in 1990 as Knight Transportation in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2017, Knight Transportation merged with Swift Transportation, allowing both companies to scale up their capabilities and create Knight-Swift Transport Services. The company currently has over 28,000 employees and operates over 20,000 vehicles. After the merger, Knight-Swift Transport Services became the trucking industry’s largest full-truckload carrier, operating with roughly 19,000 tractor-trailers. Knight-Swift Transport Services reported a revenue of $7.41 billion in the 2024 fiscal year, an increase of 3.8% from 2023.
Truck Accidents
There are millions of semi-trucks on the road every year. According to Consumer Shield, in 2024, there were over 139,000 tractor-trailer crashes in the United States. Trucking is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and the players involved, as can be seen above, have millions of dollars in assets to protect. If you are in a serious truck accident, you need a truck accident attorney on your side to stand up to these giants. Call Simmons and Fletcher for a free consultation at 800-298-0111.