ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Large truckload carriers in the US have reported their driver turnover is up 6% in the first quarter of 2007, bringing it to a whopping 127%.

Truckload carriers ended the first quarter with 1.8% fewer drivers than they collectively had at the start of the quarter. Driver turnover is tracked by the American Trucking Associations. Turnover peaked for truckload carriers in the US during the fourth quarter of 2005 when it hit 136%, the association reports.

“The softer freight demand contributed to the increase in large TL driver turnover,” said ATA chief economist Bob Costello. “Nearly 80% of the large carriers in our 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 marks six consecutive quarters that small truckload companies have experienced driver turnover of 100% or more. This segment saw its driver ranks grow by 3.5% during the quarter.

The LTL market in the US saw its overall employment decline by 1.6% during the first quarter.