Big R, you missed a lot of fixed costs items in your 40 years in the trucking industry and those fixed costs are the reason steward is correct. 1st. ABF pays for the terminals (taxes, insurance, maintenance, loans, etc) if they have no road drivers and only city drivers, the cost is exactly the same. So no road drivers is unrealized revenue they are not making. 2. The company pays for mechanics, fuel, tires, mechanical inventory, etc, for city equipment so not having a road fleet costs more because they don't buy as much and loose the bulk purchasing discount. 3. (from a management position the most important) control of the company. If ABF had to depend on purchase transportation to deliver most of the goods they picked up from customers, then purchase transportation could dictate future costs and scheduling appointments.