Prideful American Trucking Facts
The American Trucker carries the same energy of the American cowboy of the 19th century, working hard and constantly to make the lives of others just a bit easier. Here are some facts about American truckers that will leave even non-truckers in awe.
How much Freight is Hauled Each Year by Truck?
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) estimates that in 2019, truckers shipped around 11.84 billion tons of freight. While the number had likely decreased in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is also likely that it has since rebounded and is back to or at that number.
How Many Ton-Miles Per Year?
The amount of weight does not mean much if it is moved a few hundred feet, and so that is where ton-miles come in. For 2019, the estimate is 5.6 trillion miles. This means that on average, a ton of freight traveled about 473 miles in 2019.
As with the total weight, the ton-miles is expected to be roughly around the same level it was in 2019 now after dropping off at the start of the decade due to COVID-19.
How Many Truckers Are There?
As of 2021 the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates there to be 862,700 heavy truck drivers. The commercial trucking industry as a whole is roughly double that, with occupations such as truck and trailer salesmen, diesel technicians, and more.
What is the Average Age of Truckers?
The median age for truckers in the United States according to the BLS is 45.9. This number increases by about .1, a little more than a month, every year.
What is the Average Age of Trucks?
The American Research Transportation Institute (ATRI) says that the average truck age as of 2020 was 9.8 years. Likewise with the age of truckers, the number slowly climbs up as technology makes newer models more reliable.
What Percent of Greenhouse Gas Does the Trucking Industry Emit?
Despite being 2% of all vehicles on the road, heavy-duty vehicles emit 23% of all transportation emissions. When you consider that transportation is 28% of all emissions, it means that heavy-duty vehicles, mostly but not all of which are trucks, are responsible for 6.4% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the nation.
Despite making a disproportionate amount of emissions, the trucking industry has made tremendous strides in reducing its carbon footprint and continues to do so. With the recent founding of the Clean Freight Coalition, industry experts expect the footprint to continuously decline.
Conclusion
These are commonly asked questions regarding the aggregate trucking industry across all fifty states. We hope that by reading this you learned some cool facts about just how massive the industry is and will have a newfound appreciation for when you see a big rig traveling on the highway.
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