Continuing the trend we have seen in 2021 so far, the number of U.S. fleets tracked in the FleetSeek database continued to grow from September to October. Month-over-month the number of U.S. fleets expanded by 1.7%, a net increase of 12,421 total fleets.

This month we will be taking a peek at the fleets behind that 1.7% increase. As a reminder, additions to the FleetSeek database come from both new fleets forming and fleets reactivating. Likewise, deactivated fleets are removed from the database and reduce the number of active fleets. For more details on both fleet reactivations and deactivations for 2021, be sure to check out our recent post on the topic.

Growth for Owner Operator and For-Hire Fleets

Two of the three fleet types—for-hire and owner operator—experienced month-over-month expansion in their fleet numbers. The largest growth was among owner operator fleets, increasing by 5.0% or 10,851 fleets. For-hire fleets also grew, up 1.7% or 3,256 fleets compared to one month prior.

Private fleets were the only fleet type to see a month-over-month decline in the U.S. There were 1,686 fewer private fleets in the FleetSeek database in October compared to September, a 0.5% contraction. The number of private fleets is still up since the start of the year, however, with 3.9% more fleets in October versus January.

Growth Concentrated Among the Smallest Fleets

Another way we can look at these fleet changes is in terms of their size. Here we are defining fleet size by the total number of vehicles in the fleet. This includes both trucks and tractors but excludes trailers.

All of the month-over-month growth was concentrated among the smallest fleets—namely those with fewer than 50 vehicles. This cross section showed 1.8% growth, representing an expansion of 13,283 fleets. Fleets with between 50 and 249 vehicles were stagnant month-over-month, while those with 250 or more vehicles decreased by 6.7%. Since the total number of fleets with 250 or more vehicles is comparatively small in general, that 6.7% decrease represented just 862 fleets.

About FleetSeek’s Data

All of the information shared this month is directly from FleetSeek’s proprietary database which powers the FleetSeek application. FleetSeek customers can filter fleets by fleet type, total vehicles, and industry directly in the application. For more information, contact your FleetSeek representative directly, call 888-665-9887, or email [email protected].