Short answer
The Atlanta metro had 3,346 trucking establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 38,378 people on a $2.28 billion payroll (Census County Business Patterns), 1.96% of the US total. Less-than-truckload terminals employ 11,456 of them. UPS (Atlanta) and Saia (Johns Creek) are the SEC-listed trucking companies headquartered here. FMCSA's register lists 31,724 active for-hire property carriers in the 29-county metro, 72% with one truck.
- Atlanta's 3,346 trucking establishments employ 38,378 people, 11.5 per location.
- 451 LTL terminals employ 11,456 people, 29.9% of the metro's trucking jobs, at 25.4 employees each.
- Clayton County, around the airport, averages 25.1 trucking employees per establishment; Gwinnett averages 6.6.
- UPS reported $88.7 billion of 2025 revenue and Saia $3.23 billion; both list Atlanta-area headquarters in their 10-Ks.
- Georgia's new Gainesville Inland Port, opened 29 October 2026, aims to move 26,000 containers to rail in its first year.
On this page
This report is for Atlanta shippers and warehouse operators booking trucks, drivers comparing metro employers, and companies that sell to fleets here: dock and yard equipment, insurance, staffing, fuel, maintenance and software. The Georgia report covers Savannah and the rest of the state.
The metro in Census data
County Business Patterns 2023, NAICS 484 (Truck Transportation), for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metro Area (CBSA 12060, 29 counties):
| Measure (2023) | Atlanta metro |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 3,346 |
| Employees (week of March 12) | 38,378 |
| Annual payroll | $2,281,080,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 11.5 |
| Average annual pay | $59,437 |
| Share of US establishments | 1.96% of 170,286 |
| Type of trucking (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees | Employees per site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-distance truckload (484121) | 1,255 | 13,870 | 11.1 |
| Local general freight (484110) | 781 | 5,462 | 7.0 |
| Less-than-truckload (484122) | 451 | 11,456 | 25.4 |
| Specialized local freight (484220) | 435 | 2,758 | 6.3 |
| Specialized long-distance (484230) | 228 | 2,798 | 12.3 |
| Household and office moving (484210) | 196 | 2,034 | 10.4 |
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 2,560 |
| 5 to 9 | 273 |
| 10 to 19 | 180 |
| 20 to 49 | 168 |
| 50 to 99 | 81 |
| 100 to 249 | 55 |
| 250 to 499 | 24 |
| 500 to 999 | 5 |
| 1,000 or more | 0 |
So 3,013 establishments have 1 to 19 employees, 249 have 20 to 99 and 84 have 100 or more. These are locations with a payroll: a carrier with three terminals counts three times, owner-operators with no employees aren't included, and a headquarters office may be classified outside trucking.
Where in the metro
| County | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gwinnett | 777 | 5,103 | 6.6 |
| Fulton | 497 | 5,890 | 11.9 |
| DeKalb | 329 | 6,139 | 18.7 |
| Cobb | 322 | 5,227 | 16.2 |
| Clayton | 225 | 5,651 | 25.1 |
| Henry | 181 | 1,429 | 7.9 |
| Forsyth | 129 | 696 | 5.4 |
| Douglas | 107 | 2,004 | 18.7 |
The north metro (Gwinnett, Forsyth) is full of small carriers. The big terminals cluster south and east, in Clayton around Hartsfield-Jackson, DeKalb and Douglas, where an establishment averages several times the size.
Headquartered here: UPS and Saia
| Company | Headquarters (10-K cover) | 2025 revenue | Workforce | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Parcel Service, Inc. | 55 Glenlake Parkway NE, Atlanta | $88,661 million | About 460,000 employees, 370,000 in the US | SAFER: 112,321 power units |
| Saia, Inc. | 11465 Johns Creek Parkway, Johns Creek | $3,234,286,000 operating revenue | Nearly 14,500 employees, about 51% commercial drivers | 213 terminals, about 7,700 tractors |
UPS revenue fell 2.6% from $91,070 million in 2024; Saia's rose 0.8%. The employee figures are each company's own (UPS excludes temporary seasonal staff). For more on the parcel carrier's workforce, see how many employees UPS has. Saia's SAFER record lists 7,428 power units.
Other large fleets registered in the metro
From SAFER snapshots as of 28 October 2026. Several are shippers' own fleets that also hold for-hire authority, which matters if you're selling equipment and doesn't if you're looking for capacity.
| Carrier (SAFER legal name) | City | Power units | Drivers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lazer Spot Inc | Alpharetta | 2,770 | 4,836 | Yard spotting and shuttles |
| Bennett Truck Transport LLC | McDonough | 2,356 | 2,356 | For-hire carrier |
| HD Supply Inc | Atlanta | 1,665 | 2,097 | Distributor's fleet |
| The Quikrete Companies LLC | Atlanta | 978 | 892 | Manufacturer's fleet |
| Pro Tec Inc | Forest Park | 690 | 490 | For-hire carrier |
| Brown Trucking Company | Lithonia | 528 | 528 | For-hire carrier |
What the register adds
FMCSA's Company Census File (updated 29 October 2026), active for-hire property carriers with at least one power unit and an address in the 29 metro counties:
| FMCSA measure | Atlanta metro |
|---|---|
| For-hire property carriers | 31,724 |
| Intrastate only | 19,567 (61.7%) |
| One power unit | 22,844 (72.0%) |
| 10 or more power units | 819 |
| MCS-150 updated since 30 October 2024 | 13,808 (43.5%) |
| Private fleets only | 19,796 |
Of those for-hire carriers, 73.3% list general freight, 24.0% building materials or construction (one combined figure, because FMCSA's open-data file records the two categories identically) and 17.9% motor vehicles, the car-hauling and dealer work that a metro this size generates. Cargo types are self-reported by carriers, and FMCSA's open-data file doesn't always match a carrier's own SAFER record, so treat these shares as indicative. Most records aren't updated on the two-year schedule federal rules require, and fleet sizes are self-reported.
A new inland port changes some drayage
The Georgia Ports Authority opened the $134 million Gainesville Inland Port on 29 October 2026. It links Northeast Georgia to Savannah by Norfolk Southern rail, has capacity for 200,000 containers a year, and the authority expects to shift 26,000 containers to rail in the first year, "reducing trucks on Atlanta and Georgia highways." Trucks reach it from I-85 and I-985. For Atlanta carriers, some long runs from Savannah become short drays from Gainesville, which favors fleets with local drivers and chassis access.
Vetting an Atlanta carrier
- Check SAFER for active status, interstate or intrastate operation, and whether the authority is as a motor carrier or a broker.
- Ask which Georgia registration it holds: GIMC for moves that stay in Georgia, UCR for interstate work.
- Match the network to the freight. Pallets that need a terminal network go to an LTL carrier; full trailers to a truckload carrier; airport and port boxes to a carrier with those credentials.
- Get insurance and references, and run a trial lane before you commit volume.
Selling to Atlanta trucking companies
| Segment | Establishments | Who buys | What they buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| LTL terminals | 451 | Terminal manager, regional maintenance | Dock equipment, forklifts, yard trucks, staffing |
| Truckload and specialized fleets with 20 or more employees | Most of the other 333 establishments with 20+ | Operations and safety managers | Trailers, telematics, recruiting, insurance |
| Small carriers | 3,013 under 20 employees | The owner | Insurance, financing, repairs, parking |
Illustrative example. The company and its rates are invented; the counts are Census data above.
Peachtree Dock Service (peachtreedock.example) sells maintenance contracts for dock levelers, doors and forklifts. Its market is the metro's 451 LTL terminals. If it can identify and reach 70% of them, that's about 316 terminals; a 7% reply rate gives 22 conversations, and if one in three signs, 7 contracts at $9,000 a year is $63,000. Terminal managers answer to a regional maintenance lead, so the second contact matters. Bebop can build that list of terminals and their managers from a plain-language description.
Sources for Atlanta names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| SAFER Company Snapshot | One carrier's status, authority, fleet and inspections |
| FMCSA Company Census File | Every USDOT record, filterable by the 29 metro counties |
| Georgia DPS regulatory compliance | Intrastate GIMC and UCR registration |
| Georgia Trucking Association | The state association, founded 1933, with chapters, councils and events |
Next step: for warehouses, freight forwarders and 3PLs in the same metro, see logistics companies in Atlanta.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- County Business Patterns datasets, 2023 (metro and county files), US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Company Census File, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (data.transportation.gov), updated 29 October 2026, accessed 30 October 2026
- SAFER Company Snapshot, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, data as of 28 October 2026, accessed 30 October 2026
- United Parcel Service, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission, filed 17 February 2026
- Saia, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission, filed 24 February 2026
- Gov. Kemp, Georgia Ports host Gainesville grand opening, Georgia Ports Authority, 29 October 2026
- UCR and GIMC registration, Georgia Department of Public Safety, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many trucking companies are in Atlanta?
Census County Business Patterns counted 3,346 trucking establishments with paid employees in the Atlanta metro in 2023, employing 38,378 people. FMCSA's register lists 31,724 active for-hire property carriers in the 29 metro counties, because it includes owner-operators with no employees; 22,844 of those report one power unit and 19,567 operate only within Georgia.
Which major trucking companies are headquartered in Atlanta?
United Parcel Service, at 55 Glenlake Parkway NE, Atlanta, reported $88.7 billion of revenue for 2025, and Saia, the less-than-truckload carrier at 11465 Johns Creek Parkway in Johns Creek, reported operating revenue of $3.23 billion, according to their 10-K filings. Both are SEC-listed. Large registered fleets in the metro also include Lazer Spot in Alpharetta and Bennett Truck Transport in McDonough.
Where are trucking companies located in metro Atlanta?
Gwinnett County has the most trucking establishments, 777, but they are small, averaging 6.6 employees. The largest operations are south and east of the city: Clayton County averages 25.1 employees per establishment, and DeKalb and Douglas 18.7 each. By employment, DeKalb leads with 6,139 trucking employees, followed by Fulton (5,890) and Clayton (5,651).
What is the Gainesville Inland Port?
A $134 million Georgia Ports Authority rail terminal in Gainesville that opened on 29 October 2026. It connects Northeast Georgia and the Carolinas to the Port of Savannah by Norfolk Southern rail, has capacity for 200,000 containers a year and is expected to shift 26,000 containers to rail in its first year. Trucks reach it from I-85 and I-985.
How do I choose a trucking company in Atlanta?
Match the carrier type to the freight first: an LTL carrier for pallets that need a terminal network, a truckload carrier for full trailers, and a specialized carrier for flatbed, tank or car hauling. Then check its USDOT record in SAFER, confirm its Georgia GIMC or UCR registration, get a certificate of insurance naming you, and run a trial lane.