Exhibit 23.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Board of Directors

Marten Transport, Ltd.

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statements (Nos. 333-81494 and 33-75648) on Form S-8 of Marten Transport, Ltd. of our reports dated February 25, 2005, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Marten Transport, Ltd. and subsidiary as of December 31, 2004 and 2003, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity and comprehensive income and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2004, and the related financial statement schedule, management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004 and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004, which reports appear in the December 31, 2004 annual report on Form 10-K of Marten Transport, Ltd.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Minneapolis, Minnesota

March 14, 2005