Thank A Trucker
September 16, 2024
Truck Drivers Keep our Economy Running by Delivering Essential Goods from Coast to Coast.
This year’s National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is September 15-21, 2024 and Simple Logistics is celebrating the tremendous impact that drivers have on us. Drivers across the country deliver essential goods that we need in our lives and to keep our economy running. Join us and thank a trucker today!
The American Trucking Association (ATA) explains that everything from “food, clothing, and medicine to household products, construction materials, and heavy-duty equipment that fill our lives and power our economy are made available thanks to a truck and a driver behind the wheel.”
The ATA also shares the origins of this significant week. “National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is an annual, nationwide celebration and cornerstone program launched by the American Trucking Associations in 1988 to recognize and honor the vital contributions of truck drivers to our daily lives and the economy.”
Here are some interesting facts about truck drivers and their impact that you may not have known…
How Many People Are Employed in Truck Driving?
Truck driving is a massive industry in the U.S., with 3.54 million employed as professional drivers and 8.4 million working in the transportation field in some way as of 2022.
What Is the Ethnic Breakdown Among Commercial Truck Drivers?
Truck drivers are diverse, reflecting the United States’ overall racial demographics fairly well. The racial breakdown of truck drivers in the United States as of 2023 is as follows:
– White: 70.5%
– Hispanic/Latino: 22.2%
– Black/African American: 22.2%
– Asian: 4.3%
How Many Women Truck Drivers Are There?
It’s no secret that the trucking industry is primarily a male-dominant workforce. Women In Trucking(WIT), an organization with a mission to encourage employment, address obstacles, and celebrate the successes of female drivers, regularly measures the percentage of women in the transportation industry. The number of female truck drivers increased over the past five years, to 11.9% in 2023. However, this year’s WIT Index (2024-25) shows an average of 9.5% of women are professional drivers who hold CDLs– a decrease of 2.5% from the most recent WIT Index in 2023.
How Far Do Truck Drivers Drive?
Large trucks traveled 327.48 billion miles, making up 9.4% of the total vehicle miles traveled by all motor vehicles. That is a lot of miles to keep our goods moving! 13.86 million commercial trucks registered in 2021, representing 5% of all motor vehicles registered.
How Much Freight Do Truck Drivers Haul?
The United States trucking industry is one of the largest revenue streams in the nation’s economy. Trucks transported 11.46 billion tons of freight in 2022. Compared to other freight industries such as rail, trucking moved 72.6% of domestic U.S. freight, 61.9% of U.S. freight to Canada, and 83.5% of U.S. freight to Mexico.
Thank A Trucker today!
While we celebrate our drivers all year round, this week is a great way to show appreciation to the professional drivers who not only deliver our goods safely, securely, and on time but also keep our highways safe. Join us and #ThankATrucker today!
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