The Seasonality of Trucking and Its Effects on Truckers

 

Semi-Related, an Optym Podcast hosted by Jacob Eischen, welcomes guest Dean Croke, Principal Analyst at DAT Freight and Analytics. Croke sheds light on the seasonality of trucking and its impact on truckers. Croke emphasizes the existence of distinct trucking seasons, such as the peak shipping and retail shopping seasons towards the year-end, followed by quieter periods in the early months of the new year. The fluctuating demand during these seasons significantly affects truckers’ earnings and job satisfaction, with quieter periods translating to fewer miles on the road, less revenue, and increased dwell time between loads. Amidst a broader freight recession, truckers and trucking companies are navigating through these seasonal waves, seeking a balanced operational rhythm that ensures a steady income for truckers while aligning with the market’s demand cycles.

Recent Episodes

Supply chain leaders face an overwhelming volume of siloed data across ERPs, TMS platforms, and warehouse systems, yet few know how to align it for smarter decisions. The stakes are rising fast. According to Capgemini’s 2024 report Data: A Powerful Ally in Tackling Scope 3 Emission Reduction Targets, 85% of organizations cite data access…

Manual scanning remains a critical but time-consuming step in warehouse operations. That bottleneck could be nearing its end. A wave of edge technologies is pushing logistics into a new era of automation, and startups are capitalizing. The global warehouse automation market is projected to reach $41 billion by 2027, driven by demand for real-time…

Freight forwarding faces a crossroads amid shifting global trade dynamics. The rise of the “China Plus One” strategy, driven by escalating geopolitical tensions and tariff pressures, forces companies to rethink supply chain resilience. According to McKinsey & Company, more than 60 percent of companies across sectors are actively redesigning their global supplier base to…