Collectively worth billions of dollars in terms of revenue generated, the United States trucking industry is one of the most durable and consistently well-performing industries in the country. In fact, trucking-related professions account for nearly 6 percent of all full-time workers in the United States. Here are some other equally remarkable facts about the U.S. trucking industry for your consideration.
More than 70 percent of all freight in the U.S. is moved by trucks.
Incidentally, this is more cargo than what’s moved across the U.S. via rail, water, or air.
In 2017 alone, the U.S. trucking industry generated revenues higher than the entire gross domestic product (GDP) of 150-plus nations!
If the trucking industry was a nation, its GDP would have been the 33rd highest in the world in 2017.
In 2017, trucks moved approximately 10 billion tons of freight from one location to another throughout the United States.
This amounts to roughly 30 pounds of goods for every person in the United States.
Nearly 9,000 U.S. truckers are employed by Walmart.
The retail giant has been increasingly hiring its own truckers, who earn nearly $88,000 per year.
The trucking industry is more diverse than many others, with 40-plus percent of all trucking jobs held by minorities.
By comparison, minorities hold about 22 percent of all jobs in the U.S.
If long-haul truckers suddenly stopped making deliveries, many U.S. grocery stores would have empty shelves within three days!
The American Trucking Associations estimates that nearly a million new drivers need to be hired to meet current demand – although a Bureau of Labor Statistics report suggests this figure may be a bit over-estimated.
None of the regulators who oversee the nation’s trucking industry ever actually worked as a truck driver before assuming their role as a regulator.
Most long-haul truck drivers in the U.S. average 2,000 to 3,000 miles worth of road time per week.
During an entire year, this amounts to 100,000 miles – the typical U.S. driver, by comparison, racks up nearly 14,000 miles per year.
While there are many totally awesome things about the trucking industry in the U.S., it should be noted that driver salaries are still on the low side. The average U.S. income is nearly $47k per year, but truckers average nearly $44k per year. Overall, however, it’s a great time to work in the trucking industry in America because of all of the many opportunities available for drivers, owner-operators, support staff, and other individuals who play a role in getting things where they need to be when they need to get there.
