The trucking industry is the backbone of the U.S. economy, and without it, the country would come to a halt. About 3.5 million truck drivers transport nearly 70% of all goods in the nation. If this industry stopped, America would face a food shortage in just 3 days, gas stations would run out of fuel in 2 days, factories would shut down within hours, and ATMs would run empty almost immediately. Surprising, right?
This, and like this, there are a lot of things that make you excited about this challenging, heavy-duty industry.
- According to federal regulations, truck drivers are permitted to drive for 11 hours per day, or a total of 70 hours over the course of eight days. They must take off for 34 hours after they reach this number.
- Truck drivers are permitted to travel with pets! Dogs, cats, rabbits, parrots, other small birds, guinea pigs, rice, mice, or hamsters can all be owned by drivers. It’s easy to get permission to travel with a pet.
- The trucking business, which generates more than $700 billion annually, accounts for over 6% of all full-time jobs in America. These truck drivers consume 53.9 billion gallons of petroleum annually, or more than 12% of all fuel used in the US.
- Only 3.5 million qualified professional truck drivers operate the 16 million heavy and Rental-trailer trucks in the United States. 1.98 million of those 3.5 million are employee drivers.
- Depending on region and bonus structure, local drivers make about $72,000 annually, whereas solo truck drivers make an average of $81,249.
- Recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) indicate that there were approximately 500,000 heavy truck collisions reported by law enforcement in the US in recent years.
- About 80,000 pounds of freight, or 40 tons of goods and supplies, can be transported at once by an average semi-truck.
- Despite robust job growth estimates, there is a shortage of about 80,000 drivers in the trucking business. Between 2020 and 2030, the industry job market is predicted to expand at a rate of roughly 6%.
- Owner-operators/New Authority, who own and run their own trucks as independent contractors, make up around 16% of all truck drivers. These individuals, who make up over 350,000 truckers nationwide, represent the spirit of entrepreneurship in the logistics industry.
- 26.8 truck drivers per 100,000 died in an on-the-job accident in 2019. That number was 3.5 per 100,000 for all American workers.
- The market for electric trucks is growing quickly; it was estimated to be worth $5.92 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach $38.76 billion by 2032.
- Despite having less traffic than private vehicles and motorcycles, truck drivers are subject to significant taxes and fines from highway authorities, which can reach 36%.
- Logistics handle 91% of lumber and wood, 92% of prepared dairy foods, 83% of agricultural produce,a nd canned items, and 65% of pharmaceutical essentials.
