Dive Brief:
- A pair of small trucking businesses recently reported bankruptcies as owners sought to resolve debts, continuing a streak of financial setbacks for carriers in recent quarters.
- El Paso, Texas-based Site2Site Transport indicated it had leases for eight tractors and over $493,000 in liabilities, per its Chapter 7 filing. Its gross revenue dropped from $2.1 million in 2024 to $1.6 million in 2025 and was listed as $0 for Jan. 1, 2026 through the date of the filing, Sept. 29.
- Lakeview, Oregon-based Eskil Trucking reported over $1 million in liabilities but no more than $500,000 in aseets, according to its Chapter 11 bankruptcy, typically done to reorganize a business. Eskil, which said last year it had seven power units, said it owed nearly $855,000 to its largest creditor, Sargent Transportation, also based in the southern part of the state.
Dive Insight:
The continued financial stress shows the industry’s rate recovery is not the full story.
Bankruptcies, higher operating costs from insurance and diesel prices, and softer shipment environments show the recovery is far from uniform.
“The truck market has certainly flipped this year, but recent tonnage levels confirm this is due to reduced capacity, not robust demand,” American Trucking Associations Chief Economist Bob Costello said in a recent tonnage report.
At the same time, those factors limiting carriers’ operating environments are keeping spot rates elevated and helping boost contract rates. And those supply constraints have generally made the market better, Costello noted.
Small businesses make up the vast majority of the trucking industry, with over 99% having fewer than 100 power units, according to the ATA.
