Authority Trends Analysis

Analysis

· as of July 1, 2026

The most unusual feature of this dataset is not the prolonged contraction in operating authority that defined 2023 and 2024, but the near-complete collapse of recorded revocations in the most recent months. From February 2026 onward, total monthly revocations dropped to 832, then to 1, then to 0 for April and May 2026. Given that monthly revocations averaged above 6,000 through most of 2023 and 2024, these figures almost certainly reflect a data processing lag or a change in FMCSA reporting cadence rather than an actual halt in enforcement activity. Consumers of this data should treat March through May 2026 net figures, which show net gains of 5,716, 5,993, and 3,266 respectively, as provisional until revocation records are updated. Setting aside those anomalous recent months, the dominant story in this dataset is a sustained contraction in carrier entry. Total grants fell from 10,333 in March 2022 to a trough of 3,864 in December 2023, and the market ran net negative for 26 consecutive months ending January 2026. January 2026 recorded a net change of negative 3,059, the sharpest single-month contraction in the dataset, driven by total grants of only 2,834 against 5,893 revocations. On a year-over-year basis, trailing 12-month grants came in at 59,676 compared to 59,838 in the prior 12-month period, a decline of roughly 0.3%, which suggests grant activity has stabilized at a lower level rather than continuing to fall. The composition of grants has also shifted. Common authority has consistently dominated, accounting for roughly 91% of trailing 12-month grants at 54,181 out of 59,676, while broker authority at 3,877 and contract authority at 1,618 remain minor fractions. Contract authority in particular has posted negative net monthly figures without exception since August 2021, consistent with a market environment where carriers operating under dedicated arrangements have faced sustained exit pressure. The overall pattern across the full five-year window is one of net addition: 360,104 grants against 326,195 revocations for a net of 33,909 authorized entities, but that cumulative gain is heavily concentrated in 2021 and early 2022, with the subsequent period eroding much of it.