It was a bleak 2025 for the trucking industry, with numerous bankruptcies, rising costs, and uncertain futures for many major players.

“The trucking industry is facing the most challenging freight market in years, with loads down and costs increasing,” Groendyke Transport CEO Greg Hodgen told Transport Topics. “ATRI’s Operational Costs data and the customized benchmarking report that compares us to similar fleets are more critical than ever as we navigate rising costs and decreasing margins in this adverse environment.”

The American Transportation Research Institute shared its latest study, Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking survey which shared some key cost statistics for the industry.

  • The average cost of operating a truck last year slipped 0.4% versus year-ago levels to $2.260 per mile.
  • That said, when lower fuel costs are excluded, marginal expenses increased 3.6% to $1.779 per mile, a record for non-fuel operating costs.

“The study found that cost trends varied by line item last year. For instance, fuel, repair and maintenance expenses declined year over year, but driver wages rose 2.4%,” ATRI shared. “Driver wages were the primary contributor to cost increases for trucking in the three years following the coronavirus pandemic.”

  • Other cost drivers were truck and trailer payments, which rose 8.3% to a record-high 39 cents per mile, while driver benefits costs rose 4.8% to nearly 20 cents per mile.
  • Non-driver staff was cut by 6.8%.

Demand remains a problem for the industry.

“The truckload market remains soft with no meaningful shifts in demand or capacity, aside from seasonal bumps and tactics by shippers managing tariffs,” DAT Chief of Analytics Ken Adamo shared in a press release.

It’s a combination of factors that has led to a number of bankruptcies across the truck and freight space, including the latest company to file, Texas International Enterprises Inc.

Texas International Enterprises Inc. files Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Unlike some of the other bankruptcies filed this year by trucking companies, Texas International Enterprises did not leave drivers stranded or unpaid.

“In court filings, the company has sought permission to use cash collateral to continue paying employees and vendors while it restructures operations. Creditors, including Commercial Credit Group Inc. and RTS Financial Services Inc., have filed objections to those motions, signaling potential disputes over financing and collateral,” LMT Online reported.

The carrier operates about 280 power units and employs roughly 600 drivers, according to federal transportation records. Drivers could face layoffs depending on how the restructuring unfolds, however, no layoffs have been confirmed in court filings, according to PacerMonitor.

The trucking industry faced a number of headwinds in 2025.

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Texas International Enterprises Chapter 11 at a glance

  • Texas International Enterprises Inc. voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Dec. 6, 2025 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.
  • The case is Chapter 11 (reorganization), with the 341 creditors’ meeting scheduled for Jan. 7, 2026.
  • In its petition, the company reported estimated assets and liabilities between $10 million and $50 million.
    Source: PacerMonitor
  • The carrier operates about 280 power units and 1,500 trailers and employs roughly 600 drivers, making it a significant cross-border freight operator, according to FreightWaves.
  • The filing lists over 200 creditors; the company indicated that after administrative expenses, unsecured creditors likely will receive nothing.
  • Texas International has sought court approval to use cash collateral to continue operations and make payroll during restructuring.
    Source: PacerMonitor
  • Several key creditors, including Commercial Credit Group Inc. and RTS Financial Services Inc., have objected to the debtor’s cash collateral motion, reported the Laredo Morning Times.

Trucking volume has dropped

The latest data from the American Trucking Associations (ATA), Cass Freight Index, and leading load boards paint a sobering picture for 2025:

“National truck tonnage is down nearly 7% year-over-year by the third quarter. Spot market load postings have dropped by 15% compared to 2023. Contract freight volumes, while more stable, are also declining. Rail intermodal, often a bellwether for truck freight, is flat or negative. Meanwhile, used truck inventories are rising fast, and resale prices have fallen by 20% since their 2022 peak,” TruckClub reported.

The challenge for freight operators is that costs don’t stop when demand falls.

Freight economists say prolonged soft demand, combined with elevated fixed costs, is historically the most dangerous phase of the trucking cycle, because carriers run out of cash long before volumes recover.

In my four years running a branch of my family’s scaffolding rental business, I had a fleet of four large box trucks. If they went out underfilled or were sitting in the warehouse, we were losing money.

The biggest challenge was managing customers to spread out deliveries to keep our trucks as busy as possible. That was a challenging management job because not every delivery could be a 7 a.m. on Monday morning.

That same pressure, fixed truck costs piling up while demand becomes unpredictable, is exactly what large trucking fleets are facing in 2025, only at a scale where a few bad quarters can push even established carriers into bankruptcy.

Here’s what trucking companies are worried about

The ATRI has released its Top Industry Issues Report, based on input from more than 4,200 drivers, carriers, and industry stakeholders.

Here’s what topped ATRI’s list for 2025:

  1. Economy: Still #1 as tariffs, weak demand, and higher equipment costs squeeze margins.
  2. Lawsuit Abuse Reform: At a record high amid rising nuclear verdicts and staged-accident scams.
  3. Insurance Costs: Up 36% over eight years; smaller fleets hardest hit.
  4. Truck Parking: Down two spots, though states like Ohio and Pennsylvania are adding new capacity.
  5. Driver Compensation Pay remains a balancing act in a down market.

2025 Trucking/Freight Bankruptcy Filings (Chapter 11)

  • Supra National Express, Inc.: Filed for Chapter 11 on Oct. 28, 2025 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California; assets $1M–$10M, liabilities $10M–$50M, reorganization underway. Case #25-19576, accordingto a PacerMonitor filing.
  • Best Choice Trucking LLC: Filed Chapter 11 in early April 2025 among several carriers restructuring debts, according to PacerMonitor.
  • C & C Freight Network (Braselton, Ga.): Chapter 11 filing April 7, 2025 to reorganize logistics operations, shared PacerMonitor.
  • Best Logistics Inc. (Memphis, Tenn.): Chapter 11 on April 7, 2025 as part of a broader freight sector wave reported TheStreet.
  • AZA Transportation, Inc. (Northern Illinois): Filed Subchapter V Chapter 11 on May 14, 2025, to restructure $826,000 in debts,PacerMonitor shared.
  • Elite Carriers & affiliates: Filed Chapter 11 May 21, 2025 with a fleet of 70 trucks, according to PacerMonitor.
  • Dolche Truckload Corp. (Palatine, Ill.): Filed Chapter 11 June 15, 2025; assets/liabilities between $1M and $10M; seeking vendor payment relief,PacerMonitor reported.
  • Nortia Logistics, Inc. (Franklin Park, Ill.)L Filed Chapter 11 June 9, 2025, after defaulting on freight payment obligations; freight & logistics services, according to PaceMonitor.
  • Daniel Trucking International, Inc.: Chapter 11 filing July 7, 2025 in the Northern District of Illinois; fleet of 58 trucks cited, according to TheStreet.
  • CLB Trucking, Inc. (Greensburg, Pa.): Filed Aug. 15, 2025 for Chapter 11 protection; estimated liabilities $1 million to $10 million per PacerMonitor.
  • Xtreme Quality Logistic LLC & Winstar Investments LLC: Subchapter V petitions filed Aug. 15, 2025 to reorganize, reported TheStreet.
  • H5 Transport LLC: Filed Chapter 11 Sept. 16, 2025 for freight operations adjustment, according to a PacerMonitor filing.

Additional freight/trucking restructurings and related filings (2025)

  • GEC Transport Solutions LLC: Chapter 11 Oct. 6, 2025. Freight carrier reorganizing amid rate compression and insurance cost issues, according to PacerMonitor documents.
  • Styx Logistics LLC: Chapter 11 Oct. 9, 2025 under Delaware court oversight. fuel & refinancing pressures were noted, according to PacerMonitor filings.
  • Propel Trucking, Inc.: Subchapter V Chapter 11 Oct. 2, 2025 due to cash flow and freight payment delays, reported TheStreet.
  • R&R Transport & Logistics LLP: Chapter 11 Oct. 9, 2025; flatbed/oilfield freight focus shared a PacerMonitor filing.