2017-Trucking-Industry-Facts-and-Figures-My20-ELD-Konexial

2017 Trucking Industry Facts & Figures

Americans buy things every single day without stopping to think about how they got there. That loaf of bread at the grocery store 5 minutes down the street? Brought to you by a trucker. The fresh red roses you bought for your significant other on Valentine’s Day? Courtesy of a driver. The book you ordered on Amazon Prime that arrived at your doorstep in two days? Thank a trucker.

“If you bought it, truckers brought it.” The trucking industry changes every year, but one thing always stays the same — the demand for drivers and the amount of freight that needs to get from point A to point B increase every year. In 2017, more than 70% of all freight tonnage in the US was moved by a truck. The number comes out to 10.42 billion tons of freight annually — which requires over 3.6 million heavy-duty Class 8 trucks, 3.5 million truck drivers, and 38 billion gallons of diesel fuel per year. Those are some big numbers, and it’s no wonder the trucking industry is responsible for 6% of jobs in America.

This is just a summary, so if you’re looking for more statistics from recent years, make sure you go to the American Trucking Associations website. Do any of these facts and figures surprise you?

 

If you aren’t a part of the trucking industry yet, now is a great time to get started. In order to keep up with the demand, the trucking industry will need to hire roughly 898,000 new drivers in the next decade. Read over a few of our resources for new truckers:

 

 

Best of luck, current and future drivers!