Small trucking operators are in financial trouble, which is bad news for the independent drivers who move most of America's goods and eventually for the stores that depend on them.

• Independent truckers and small family outfits are struggling right now.
• Many of these businesses own only a couple of trucks, and the owner drives one of them.
• Trucking is what connects ports to stores and stores to homes, so pressure there spreads through the whole economy.
• A squeeze on small carriers usually means the big fleets pick up the work.

Outlook: Expect more small trucking companies to fold unless freight demand and rates improve.