ARLINGTON, VA — Imagine if in just one year you saw 97 percent of your staff leave. 97 percent. Well, as the American Trucking Associations (ATA) reports, that isn’t an imaginary figure any more.

In the most recent version of the ATA’s Trucking Activity Report, they report that the turnover rate at both large and small truckload carriers rose in the first quarter of 2013.

Quarterly turnover at large fleets rose to an annualized rate of 97 percent in the first quarter, up from 90 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Small fleet turnover jumped to 82 percent up from 76 percent in the previous quarter.

Meanwhile, less-than-truckload (LTL) turnover rose to 15 percent in Q1 2013 from 10 percent in the last quarter of 2012. Less-than truckload typically sees less-than-normal turnover. This is the highest level the turnover rate has been in the LTL section since the fourth quarter of 2005. 

The ATA says this rise in turnover is due to the improving U.S. economy, as well as increased competition in well-trained drivers.

“If the economy continues to improve as we expect it to,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello, “we’ll see competition for drivers intensify, which will increase not just the turnover rate and exacerbate the driver shortage, but will push costs for fleets higher as well.”