October jobs report: U.S. adds 165,000 jobs, but trucking payrolls stay flat at 1.47 million

The U.S. economy added 165,000 jobs in October, well above the 12-month average gain of 48,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report released November 6. The unemployment rate was 4.1 percent. Truck drivers and fleets did not share in the gain.

BLS table B-1 shows truck transportation employment at 1,471.3 thousand in October on a seasonally adjusted basis, unchanged from September. That is about 1,300 jobs below the 1,472.6 thousand BLS reported for October 2025. BLS also counted 1,839.2 thousand in warehousing and storage, down 300 jobs from September.

The broader transportation and warehousing sector did add 25,000 jobs, but BLS said couriers and messengers supplied 17,000 of them, with air transportation adding 4,000. The sector is up 104,000 since its February low, and couriers account for 71,000 of that rise. In other words, the sector's recovery is parcel delivery, not long-haul trucking.

What it means for carriers

Flat payrolls fit what DAT is seeing on the spot market. In its dry van report published November 2, DAT said the spot linehaul rate paid to carriers, excluding fuel, averaged $2.23 a mile for the week ending October 31. That was up 3 cents from the prior week and up 32.6 percent from a year earlier.

DAT also reported dry van load posts up 8.4 percent on the week and truck posts down 5.7 percent. Its dry van load-to-truck ratio was 10.93, against 6.37 a year earlier. Fewer trucks chasing more freight is a capacity story, and the jobs data is consistent with it: the fleet workforce is not growing to meet demand.

What shippers and brokers should watch

A stronger economy with no added trucking headcount points to tighter capacity if freight demand keeps building. BLS reported manufacturing up 19,000 jobs in October and 101,000 since its December 2025 low. Factory hiring tends to precede more outbound loads.

Shippers with spot-heavy programs may want to check how their contract rates compare with the DAT spot figure. Brokers should expect carriers to hold out for more on lanes where truck posts keep falling.

One caution: BLS marks the September and October figures as preliminary, and monthly trucking counts are often revised. The next report, covering November, is due December 4, according to BLS.