12 Statistics That Truck Fleet Operators Should Know (And Why)

Delivery operations have become the new battleground for competitive advantage. As a result, truck fleet managers must meet rising customer demand for precise deliveries, while also satisfying boardroom expectations for efficient, profit-friendly operations.

Despite these significant dual pressures, many truck fleet operators continue to use the most basic tools to plan and schedule daily deliveries—even as competitors gain a leg up using advanced software to digitize and modernize route planning and dispatch.

The following statistics offer eye-opening evidence of why now is the time to transform your delivery operations. And ultimately how route optimization software can help.

$2.90

You’ll pay this amount for every truck-mile your fleet runs, according to the National Private Truck Council (NPTC). Truck fleet operators that continue to plan routes using basic tools are running 10–30% more miles than necessary. What if you could reduce miles by 20%? For a 50-truck fleet, where each truck runs 60,000 miles per year, you could realize a savings of $600,000—straight to the bottom line.

$246,000

That’s the cost of a new tractor-trailer ($160,000), combined with NPTC’s estimated cost of putting a driver behind the wheel for a year ($86,000). Routing software maximizes fleet and driver utilization, enabling you to cover the same miles with less equipment and fewer drivers. Your truck fleet operating costs should not precisely parallel your revenue growth. The right route optimization software should yield efficiencies in your transportation operation to improve profit margins as you grow.

16%

The US Energy Information Administration says this is the percentage contribution of freight transport to all greenhouse gas emissions by US businesses.  The pressure to go green is ramping up. Software-aided route planning can help truck fleet operators do their part by reducing truck miles and the related fuel use. Some advanced routing software solutions, like Aptean Routing & Scheduling, include Carbon Minimizer functionality that allows users to prioritize CO2 reduction when planning routes.

160,000

The anticipated shortage of truck drivers in the US will hit this level by the year 2028. In the UK, the current driver shortage is 100,000 and rising. Routing software helps truck fleet operators cover delivery requirements with fewer drivers. You can reduce reliance on an increasingly scarce resource, and also cut driver-related costs, which are by far the largest cost component of fleet operations.

$15,000

This cost to replace an unhappy driver is a clear signal that, with good drivers in short supply, you can’t afford to lose the ones you have. Advanced routing software can aid retention in more ways than you think. It can plan routes precisely so shifts end when they’re supposed to; it can program route plans to accommodate driver preferences, like the need to finish a shift early on Thursdays for a family obligation; it can dole out routes fairly, so every driver is just as likely to be assigned a preferred route.  Remember, most drivers don’t complain, they just leave.

$80,000

This is the average combined salary and benefits package of a transportation planner. Route planning software reduces planning time from hours to minutes, thus minimizing or eliminating the need for full-time planning roles. Don’t ask experienced transportation professionals to perform calculations a computer can do faster and better. Instead, tap that wisdom to work on more strategic initiatives, like modeling a new distribution network or improving customer service. 

5%

Zendrive says this is the percentage of fleet operating costs influenced by driver behavior. Without the right route optimization software that’s connected to your trucks’ telematics systems, there is no way to monitor harsh acceleration, speeding, excess idling, harsh braking and other bad behaviors that drive up fuel, maintenance and insurance costs.

2.3%

You can cut fuel use by this percentage if you simply unload heavy items first on a multi-stop delivery route. Lighter trailers use less fuel and CO2. Route planning software can use product weight data to create route sequences that drop off the heaviest freight first, when it makes sense.

$7,322

This is the average fine you’ll pay if you exceed DOT Hours of Service (HoS) limits in the US. Advanced route planning software includes resource management functionality. This feature captures up-to-date information on drivers’ hours worked from the truck’s telematics system. By integrating this data with the route planning system, you can automatically produce a fully resourced, DOT-compliant schedule.

$7–$13

According to the Harvard Business Review, this is what you’ll pay for each interaction between a customer and a business’s call center. Routing software can prevent these costly calls in two ways: 1) plan deliveries to reliably hit very precise time windows, since confident customers don’t make “where’s my order?” (WISMO) calls and 2) trigger automated day-of-delivery emails or text messages to customers based on real-time ETA data.

3-12 months

Based on our experience across thousands of implementations, this is the average ROI timeframe for investments in routing software at companies using rudimentary tools to plan delivery routes.

11%

This predicted growth rate for truck routing software through 2026 reflects how truck fleet operators have broadly embraced digital transformation to improve the customer experience and increase revenue and profit. This shift has been slower to take hold in the transportation and dispatch office. But that’s changing fast as businesses recognize the vital role of superior delivery on the overall customer experience.

Numbers don’t lie, and these numbers reveal some compelling reasons for truck fleet operators to spearhead a digital transformation within your route planning and dispatch functions. Our routing and scheduling software, Aptean Routing & Scheduling, can provide the platform you need to bring dramatic, profit-driving change to your business.

Talk to one of our route planning specialists today and begin your journey towards fleet operating numbers you never thought possible.