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June 29, 2006 8:00 AM, EDT

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he driver turnover rate for large truckload carriers was 116% during the first quarter, a 20-point drop from the previous quarter and the largest quarterly decrease since American Trucking Associations started tracking the statistic in 1995.

The latest figure for large truckload carriers — those with at least $30 million in annual revenue — was the lowest since the first quarter of 2004. ATA, in its June 16 report, said the new rate was 4 percentage points lower than it was in the first quarter of 2005.

ATA also said the turnover rate for small truckload firms was 111%, a 2-point rise from the previous quarter and a 9-point jump from a year earlier.

The turnover, or churn, rate for less-than-truckload firms, whose drivers are more likely to be home at night, was 12.8% — a 4-point drop from the fourth quarter and a year ago.

For the full story, see the June 26 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.