US freight media FreightWaves recently reported that for small trucking carriers, the choice between owning a trailer, financing one, running power only, or renting by the day is not merely an equipment question but a business decision with a distinct cost structure. Matt Harb, Vice President of Product and Operations at trailer-sharing marketplace Repowr, shared this view during a Long Haul conversation at F3 in Chattanooga.
What Happened
According to the report, Repowr operates an Airbnb-style marketplace for trailers, where large and midsize fleets list excess equipment and owner-operators and small fleets rent by the day. The platform has roughly 3,500 trailers available at any given time across the country, including dry vans, reefers, and flatbeds. Rental periods range from as short as three days to 90 days or more, with one-way pickup and drop-off options, and in many cases a replacement trailer waiting where the last one was returned.
Harb said the fastest-growing user group is carriers building a fleet from scratch, who prefer to put capital into trucks and their team rather than depreciating trailers, using rentals to cover equipment needs while scaling. The report also noted that power-only freight tends to pay 5% to 10% below drop-and-hook work and can pin a truck to a region, limiting flexibility to chase higher-paying loads.
To address regional lock-in, Repowr introduced short-run pricing: for rentals under 14 days, carriers can sometimes get a trailer at close to half the usual cost, in some cases around $8 per day, because suppliers want equipment repositioned quickly.
Background
The report noted that about half of all US freight moves via drop-and-hook, which requires trailer availability. When shippers ask for a two-to-one or three-to-one trailer-to-truck ratio, small carriers without spare trailers have to walk away. Harb argued that small carriers often mistakenly think scaling means buying more trucks, but real growth lies in building the ability to source trailers so trucks stay loaded, because margin lives in the box, not just the tractor.
He also cautioned against matching long-term assets to short-term or uncertain opportunities. For example, a 15-truck fleet was about to sign long-term leases on reefers because a few shippers were dangling promising lanes; Harb advised renting for three months to verify the lanes are real before considering a purchase.
Impact on Shippers
For Chinese cross-border e-commerce sellers and foreign trade factories exporting to the US, this trend suggests more flexible truck capacity organization in the US. Small carriers renting trailers can take on more drop-and-hook loads, potentially improving last-mile truck delivery response speed and coverage, especially during peak season when shippers demand higher trailer ratios.
On cost, the rental model lowers fixed costs for carriers, but short-run pricing and regional restrictions may affect rate structures. Shippers choosing US truck delivery services may want to check whether carriers have drop-and-hook capabilities to ensure stable capacity during volume fluctuations. Customs clearance is not directly affected, but improved last-mile衔接 efficiency can help shorten overall transit times.
Recommendations
Shippers are advised to clarify trailer resources and drop-and-hook capabilities when communicating with US last-mile carriers, and to lock in capacity early during peak season or major promotions. For goods requiring reefer or special equipment, ask whether the carrier's equipment is owned or rented to assess service stability. When signing long-term transportation contracts, check whether the carrier's equipment strategy matches its committed volumes to avoid delays caused by insufficient equipment.