Up, then down: drop in trucking jobs in May mostly wipes out gain from April

The large summation successful motortruck proscription jobs reported past period reversed itself successful May, starring to a level of employment that is lone somewhat higher than it was 2 months ago.

The May jobs study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported motortruck proscription jobs astatine 1,424,800. That’s down 4,400 jobs from a somewhat revised April figure.

The revision successful April numbers inactive puts it up 4,900 jobs from March, which besides was revised slightly.

The extremity effect is that motortruck proscription employment successful May was conscionable 500 jobs much than successful March, aft an April report–along with anecdotal and existent reports of much hiring and a tightening marketplace for drivers–that seemed to suggest a continuing upward determination successful employment was possible.

But May’s employment fig for motortruck proscription was down 2,400 jobs from wherever it stood astatine the extremity of past year. It’s besides down astir 23,000 jobs from May 2025.

Jump successful warehouse jobs

Warehouse jobs posted their 4th consecutive period of higher numbers. The summation of 6,400 jobs was the largest azygous one-month summation since May 2024, erstwhile the information showed 3 consecutive months with warehouse occupation gains successful excess of 7,000 jobs.

Total warehouse jobs of 1,824,400 were inactive good beneath the 1,875,300 jobs from a twelvemonth ago. The all-time precocious fig successful that class is 1,939,300 jobs successful March 2022.

Trucking numbers look stronger by sectors

Mazen Danaf, the main economist astatine Uber Freight (NYSE: UBER), looked nether the hood astatine the circumstantial assemblage numbers, which are connected a one-month lag.

He said March totals for long-distance truckload employment was up 2,600 successful March and 1,990 successful April. “This maturation has narrowed the year-over-year alteration to -2%, perchance signaling the onset of a betterment signifier that whitethorn instrumentality respective quarters,” helium said.

Danaf, successful an email to FreightWaves, said the betterment successful trucking capableness that began aft the archetypal blast of the pandemic took “multiple quarters” successful 2021 to scope its highest number.

“Consequently, shippers should stay cautious erstwhile viewing these employment upticks, arsenic wide levels enactment critically debased comparative to the past decade,” helium said.

Strong numbers overall

The motortruck proscription diminution comes against the backdrop of a beardown monthly study overall.

Aaron Terrazas, an autarkic economist who has worked successful trucking, said the full jobs study of a summation of 172,000 successful employment is the 3rd period with specified a report. And, arsenic helium said, “three months makes a trend.”

“We person present had 3 consecutive Job Reports that look large successful the archetypal print, and support looking amended arsenic clip goes by,” helium said successful an email to FreightWaves. “Payroll gains came successful good supra forecasts, the unemployment complaint remained unchangeable adjacent arsenic caller grads began entering into the occupation market, and payrolls for the anterior 2 months were revised upward.”