Logistics and shipping make up one of the largest markets in the US (and the world), but there’s so much more to it than just dollar signs and pushing products around the globe.
This industry employs millions of people, and the ramifications of shipping and logistics affect just about all of us in some way or another.
I mean, think about it. If you’re reading this on a computer or smartphone, where did you get your tech? Where did the people who sold you your tech get their tech? Where did the people who built your tech get the supplies to do so?
This industry is massive, and the numbers that pair with it are absolutely insane.
These are 5 of the craziest facts about trucking.
- Trucks from 1988 would emit 60 times more harmful gases than modern-day trucks.
From an outsider’s perspective, it might seem like truckers are the furthest thing from environmentalists. I mean, truckers drive for a living.
But of course, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Trucks are only getting safer and becoming more environmentally conscious.
The best part? It’s only going to get better in the future. With companies like Tesla or Nikola creating new electric trucks, it’s only a matter of time before electric truck technology becomes so efficient that it’s actually better to drive than a gas guzzler!
- The trucking industry collects $650 billion in revenue every year – 5% of America’s GDP
As cool as future technology is, the true driving force behind keeping the trucking industry alive and thriving is the fact that it is such a huge moneymaker.
Quite literally, the US economy couldn’t function without truckers hauling freight around year-round, rain or shine.
Even during global catastrophes like the Covid-19 pandemic, trucking companies (like Legacy!) have been grinding away and hauling freight from point A to point B, regardless of circumstances.
- There are 5 times more trucks operating today than there are truck drivers.
15.5 million trucks are operating in the US today. That is a lot of trucks.
That’s so many trucks in fact, that if you lined up all the trucks in the US end to end, you’d reach the moon!
To drive these 15.5 million trucks, there are only 3.5 million truck drivers. The shortage of truck drivers isn’t a new concern, but there is a lot of debate as to whether this is really something to be concerned about.
What are your thoughts on the national truck driver shortage?
- Trucks account for 70% of all the freight in the US today.
Okay, we’ve already talked about how trucking is a huge industry, but these last 2 stats are a few mind-blowing metrics that really hammer in just how important truckers are.
There are a bunch of ways to haul freight. Planes, trains, box trucks, cars, Pokéballs…
Okay, maybe not Pokéballs, but you get the point. There’s a lot of ways to haul freight, and trucks make up most of it. Whether it’s food, furniture, or any other commodities, odds are, it’s been shipped to you in a truck.
- 90% of the food Americans eat is hauled by trucks.
Imagine that if, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck last March if truckers just stopped working.
If this happened, there wouldn’t have just been a national toilet paper shortage, there’d also be a national food shortage. This is because most of what we eat is hauled by trucks. Those oranges? Hauled up from Florida. Those peaches? Hauled from Georgia.
Truckers are the backbone of so many industries and so much of their work goes unnoticed because, well, it’s behind the scenes.
Closing Thoughts
Trucking is a wild industry because it makes up for so much more of the world’s economy than we realize. Without shipping and logistics, most businesses, both large and small, wouldn’t be able to subsist.
That’s why it’s so important to work with shipping companies you can trust.
If our track record at Legacy Express Trucking says anything, it says that we’re disciplined, reliable, and one of the best in the field.
