The trucking industry is vital to the U.S. economy and all you have to do is drive on any major U.S. highway to see that in action. We have put together 15 fun facts about trucking to keep you moving.

  1. Trucks need 525 feet, the length of 3 football fields, to come to a full stop when going 65 MPH when a car only needs 316 feet to come to a full stop when going 65 MPH.
  2. An estimated 8.9 million people are employed in trucking-related jobs; nearly 3.5 million are truck drivers. Of this figure UPS employs 60,000 workers and 9% are owner operators.
  3. A semi truck with a full trailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds.
  4. Trucks carry almost 70% of all U.S. freight, by weight, each year.
  5. Almost 3 million heavy-duty Class 8 trucks are needed to move the 9.2 billion tons of freight hauled each year.
  6. Over 37 billion gallons of diesel fuel per year, are needed to move all of that freight.
  7. In 2010, Class 8 trucks logged 99.2 billion miles for business purposes (excluding government and farm).
  8. The trucking industry spent $143.4 billion on diesel fuel in 2011.
  9. On average 20,500 gallons of fuel powers a commercial truck for a year, whereas a standard car averages only 500 gallons, per year.
  10. Truck drivers who work for a private fleets averaged a yearly income of $73,000 in October 2015 according to an article from CNN Money. However, the Labor Department reports that the median annual income for all truck drivers is $40,000.
  11. Only 6% of truck drivers are women, compared to 47% of the total workforce being women.
  12. Small business trucking companies with ten or less trucks make up 90% of the trucking industry.
  13. There are about 350,000 owner-operators in the U.S.
  14. Small business truckers drive more than 115,000 miles on average per year representing more than 3 million miles in their lifetime. They spend more than 240 nights per year away from home.
  15. Freight bill factoring helps owner-operators and small trucking companies get access to funds to pay for all the fuel needed to keep them moving.

 

 

Sources: This list was complied with data from Truckinginfo.net, Utah Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, American Trucking Association, CNN Money, US Labor Department and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.