At least 16 trucking, delivery and transportation companies filed for bankruptcy between late August and September 21, FreightWaves found by tracking federal court filings and carrier records. Eight sought Chapter 11 protection, while eight filed for Chapter 7 liquidation.
The Chapter 11 cases include Globemaster Inc. of Bolingbrook, Illinois, which operates 51 power units and reported about 3.3 million annual miles. Xoco Transport of South Texas has more than 40 tractors, 65 drivers and about 70 trailers. Truckload LLC, doing business as Expedite Express in Florida, operated 114 power units as recently as May 2024. CLJ Transporting, an Amazon Delivery Service Partner in Auburndale, Florida, operates 18 trucks and 30 drivers.
The Chapter 7 filings skew much smaller. A&B Transportation listed six trucks, Russ Exp five, Blue Star Transports two, and Jackdollars Transport and Rothchild Transportation one each.
Truckload rates have risen over the same period. Cass’s Truckload Linehaul Index was up 8.6% year over year in July and 11.3% in August, while shipments in the Cass Freight Index rose year over year in August for the first time since January 2023.
Trucking payrolls have kept shrinking. Truck transportation employed 1.47 million people in August, about 118,000 fewer than at the October 2022 peak, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
The filings span general freight, last-mile, agricultural and specialized hauling. They come as carriers contend with rising diesel prices and other elevated operating costs, according to FreightWaves.
