A Closer Look at the Truck Driving Industry

You see trucks everyday if you drive America’s highways. They’re ubiquitous and our nation can’t easily function without them. They deliver the goods people need and want, and truckers provide a vital service to society. That said, there might be some things you don’t know about the truck driving industry. However, this article will share with you some interesting facts you can use to impress your friends…

The First Truck

For starters, when was the first “truck-based automobile?” Would you guess 1890, 1896 or 1900? If you guessed 1896, you’re right. It was created in Germany by the Gottlieb Daimler company. So trucks have been on the road for more than a century, and they spread from Germany to the world quite quickly.

Truck Engines

If you think about your typical automobile, you get about 200,000 miles out of its engine, right? But commercial truck engines can handle many more miles because they’re designed to last a long time. Would you guess that the typical commercial truck engine can handle 800,000 miles, 1 million miles, or 1.5 million miles? If you guessed 1 million, you’re right!

Employees in the Truck Driving Industry

Speaking of a million, how many people do you think are employed in some capacity of the trucking industry in the United States? Would you guess 1 million, 5 million or 8 million? If you guessed 8 million, you’re right.

Annual Mileage and Speed Totals

There are certainly a lot of truckers on the road. Even though truckers spend more time on the road than your average car driver, they get into three times fewer accidents than non-commercial drivers. Keep in mind that the average trucker will drive over 100,000 road miles per year. How many miles does an average car driver do? Probably around 12,000.

Ever wonder why truckers don’t speed like most car drivers going 75 in a 65 MPH zone? They know that they can lower fuel usage by some 27 percent by sticking to the speed limit.

Finally, what about exhaust-based emissions? Since 1980, the trucking industry has reduced them by about 95 percent– that’s a whole lot less pollution than they used to make.

In the truck driving industry, Platinum Drivers helps both drivers and trucking companies through our placement services. Contact us to learn more.