Some Interesting Factoids About Trucking In The United States

24 Apr
Some Interesting Factoids About Trucking In The United States

They are so often seen on the highways and streets that we sometimes take for granted the enormous impact of trucks on our daily lives. Some 70% of transported freight in the United States are delivered via Class 8 (weight in excess of 33,000 pounds) trucks. Here are some other statistics about trucks that are not commonly known:

  • October 4th was National Truck Driver Day in 2021
  • National Truck Driver week was September 12th through September 18th in 2021
  • Of the estimated 1.2 million trucking companies in the U.S., 90% operate 6 or fewer trucks
  • Approximately 1 in 9 truckers are independent
  • About 1 in 15 truckersor 6% are female
  • Sales of new Class 7 (greater than 26K pounds) and new Class 8 ranged from 250,000 to 320,000 units inthe U.S. during 2018, 2019 and 2020
  • Truckers drive an average of 115,000 miles per year; more than 3 million miles in their career
  • Truckers spend about 2/3rd of the year away from home or about 240 nights each year
  • Just below 9 million people have a job in the truck industry with 3 in 8 being truck drivers
  • The average commercial truck consumes about 20,000 gallons of gas each year
  • Emissions from heavy trucks has been reduced by 95% in the past two decades
  • There are between 15 and 16 million active trucks in the U.S. trucking industry
  • Some of the largest U.S. fleets (in thousands):
    • FedEx 88K
    • UPS 119K
    • AT&T 67K
    • PepsiCo 62K
    • Verizon 20K
    • Amazon has 30K delivery trucks and 20K trailers

The average range of pay for truckers most frequently cited is $0.28 to $0.40 per mile.  When expressed as annual pay, the range starts at about $30,000 and extends past $60,000.Deadhead miles average 35% across the industry. That represents additional wear and tear on equipment, emissions to the environment with no benefit, and unpaid or underpaid miles driven. With other overhead such as insurance, licensing, leasing, or depreciation to be recouped, lowering empty trips generates many benefits.

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