Article created for the digital issue of
Understanding consumer expectations and preferences has become critical to a retailer’s success in today’s operating environment. Successful businesses must stay ahead of the curve by identifying and adapting to emerging trends, whether in consumer behavior, drivers’ needs or industry practices.
The NATSO Foundation identified eight key trends expected to shape the truck stop and travel center industry in 2024.
One trend with a big impact on the travel center industry is shorter lengths of haul.
For years, companies have been moving warehouses and fulfillment and distribution centers closer to consumers, affecting the average length of haul. The American Transportation Research Institute estimates that the average length of haul has decreased 37% since 2000. ATRI’s 2023 Operational Cost of Truck Report said that regional trips, between 100 and 500 miles, continue to be the most common trip length among fleets.
Bob Costello, chief economist for American Trucking Associations, said that, in the for-hire over-the-road truckload segment, the average length of haul is holding steady at 450 to 500 miles.
Ken Veith, president of ACT Research, said the number of miles large, publicly traded carriers travel yearly is decreasing.
“If I go back to 2014, this group of carriers was running almost 106,000 a year. Three years later, in 2017, it was 101,000 miles per year. In 2020, it was 95,000 per year, and now for 2022, which is the last full year we have, it is 76,000 miles per year,” he said, adding that these figures apply to the largest carriers in the country. “In aggregate, the rate is coming down at the highest end of the for-hire market. You can see the push to regionalize freight.”
Darren Schulte, NATSO’s vice president of membership said that as the length of haul decreases, day cabs are increasing in popularity and less sleeper cabs are needed. That is leading to significant savings for carriers but changing some of the services drivers may need at a travel center.
Along with a shorter length of haul, the number of one- and two-day deliveries has increased, creating more demand for delivery drivers. “These drivers are typically younger and have grown up on a different type of store. They fuel in the forecourt and visit stores they’ve known growing up,” Schulte said.
Leah Shaver, CEO of the National Transportation Institute, said the growth rate of local jobs for professional drivers has exceeded that of long-haul jobs since January 2020. “During the pandemic we certainly saw a surge in local jobs because we needed things delivered to the house. There was a slight dip but now there is a surge again,” she said.
 |
Want more Trends Shaping the Truck Stop and Travel Center Industry in 2024? Access the Eight Trends Shaping the Truck Stop and Travel Center Industry in 2024 Toolkit from the NATSO Foundation here. |
// This article was created for Stop Watch magazine, the magazine of the NATSO Foundation. The NATSO Foundation is the research, education and public outreach subsidiary of NATSO, Inc. The NATSO Foundation provides programs and products to strengthen travel plazas’ ability to meet the traveling public's needs through improved operational performance and business planning. Visit www.natsofoundation.org for more information. (Donate to the NATSO Foundation here.)
Subscribe to Updates
NATSO provides a breadth of information created to strengthen travel plazas’ ability to meet the needs of the travelling public in an age of disruption. This includes knowledge filled blog posts, articles and publications. If you would like to receive a digest of blog post and articles directly in your inbox, please provide your name, email and the frequency of the updates you want to receive the email digest.
