After a tumultuous 2009, freight broker metrics are showing signs of stabilization. That’s one of the findings of a recent broker benchmark survey conducted by TransCore. Survey respondents moved an average of 990 loads per month, which was not a significant change from last year’s survey, even though truck freight declined by 9% compared to 2008, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, and TransCore’s Freight Index reported that spot market load volume for the year slid by 43%.
Despite the upheaval in 2009, brokers without assets reported a slight uptick in gross margins per truckload, from 15.3% in 2008 to 15.9% in 2009. Because of the high fixed costs associated with carrier operations, however, gross margin per truckload for asset-based brokers dropped to 14.1% compared to 15.2% in 2008.
Survey respondents who identified their companies as 3PLs or freight forwarders earned the highest margins per truckload among survey respondents, with 16.5% in 2009 compared to 16.2% in 2008. The overall average was 15.6%, which was not significantly different from last year’s 15.3% average response.
The respondent group reported average revenues of $34.8 million, with average productivity exceeding $850,000 per employee. The highest productivity, of more than $1 million per employee, was reported by firms with 21 to 100 employees. The survey features detailed responses from more than 225 brokers, broker-carriers and 3PLs about their 2009 operations and financial performance.
To download a copy of the survey, click TransCore’s 2009 Broker Benchmark Survey.
