That was the turnover rate at its peak for US truckload carriers. The peak was reached during the fourth quarter of 2005. Things have improved since then but not by much. Large truckload carriers in the US reported a 127% driver turnover in the first quarter of 2007. The softer freight demand is contributing to the large TL driver turnover, according to American Trucking Association’s chief economist Bob Costello. Nearly 80% of the large carriers in ATA’s research sample saw their number of employee drivers fall during the period. In some cases, the drivers that left were not replaced, due to soft and choppy freight levels. Small truckload carriers saw driver turnover drop 10% to 102% during the first quarter. However, that still marks six consecutive quarters that small truckload companies have experienced driver turnover of 100% or more.