HaulLivestock Hauling Companies
59,884 active U.S. motor carriers (2.7% of all active carriers) report livestock as a cargo type in the FMCSA Company Census. Livestock carriers move cattle, hogs, poultry and other animals in ventilated trailers. The segment concentrates in agricultural states and is built almost entirely on small, often owner-operated fleets.
The headline numbers
Livestock has one of the highest small-fleet shares of any cargo class — the great majority run six trucks or fewer — and skews intrastate, reflecting regional ranch-to-market hauls.
Where livestock hauling companies are based
Each state is shaded by the number of active carriers reporting this cargo type, from light (fewer) to dark (more), based on each carrier’s registered physical-address state. The smallest Northeast states and DC are labeled in the margin so their counts stay readable.
Show data table
| State | Carriers |
|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 3,965 |
| Iowa | 3,957 |
| Texas | 3,780 |
| Nebraska | 3,701 |
| Michigan | 3,202 |
| Oklahoma | 2,843 |
| Minnesota | 2,817 |
| New York | 2,434 |
| Oregon | 2,349 |
| Colorado | 2,347 |
| Kentucky | 1,966 |
| Alabama | 1,860 |
Fleet size: who actually hauls this freight
90.6% of these carriers run six trucks or fewer and just 0.2% run a hundred or more — the fleet shape that determines how capacity and pricing behave in this segment.
Interstate vs. intrastate operation
38.5% operate interstate (across state lines, the trigger for federal operating authority) and 61.5% operate intrastate. Livestock hauls are time- and welfare-sensitive; confirm the carrier's authority is active before scheduling.
Vet a specific carrier
These are aggregate counts. To check a single company, look it up by name or USDOT number, read our guide to vetting a carrier before you book, and learn how to spot double-brokering and carrier fraud. Compare freight types on the cargo-type pillar or see the national industry statistics.
Frequently asked questions
- How many livestock trucking companies are there?
- This page shows the current count of active carriers that flag livestock in the FMCSA Company Census.
- Which state has the most livestock hauling companies?
- Wisconsin leads with 3,965 active carriers reporting this cargo type, based on each carrier's registered physical-address state. The full state breakdown is on this page.
- Where does this data come from?
- The public FMCSA Company Census (dataset az4n-8mr2), filtered to active carriers that report this cargo-classification flag and grouped by registered state, fleet size, operation type and hazmat indicator. It refreshes automatically as the federal data updates.