Have you seen much more trucks while you drive on the road? This is because the trucking industry has been growing up very fast in the last four years, and it will keep doing it.
According to the American Trucking Association almost one million people is employed in the trucking industry; there are approximately 46,000 trucking companies in the U.S. and next year 48,000 new drivers will be needed to meet the demands of the industry.
The advantages that this business offers are very good, for example the revenue on the first year is between $30,000 and $38,000 (and often with school tuition reimbursements), almost all the companies with have fleets composed of the latest models in the market, emphasize on driving (not loading and unloading), you stay away from home at least 5 days.
These aspects are focused over the road truck. But if you get a job as a local driver benefits are better: set daily schedule, you stay at home every night but the biggest difference is that it pays less than over the road.
Here we will let you know some statistics that demonstrate the growth of this industry and futures projections. There are approximately 15.5 million trucks operating in the U.S. (1.9 million are tractor trailers); there are over 3.3 million truck drivers, one out of ten are owner operators; there are over 360,000 trucking companies and the number keeps growing.
This industry revenues $255.5 billion per year; of this total $121 billion are produced by private fleets; every driver makes an average of $.30 cents per mile and it represents a revenue of $30,000 to $ 35,000 only in the first year, that means that the industry produces or pays $21.4 billion per year;12.8% of the fuel purchased in the U.S. is consumed by the trucking industry; 192.000 trucks are sold every year in the U.S. (today trucking companies renew their fleets every 3-5 years); 280.000 tractor trailers are sold per year.
Accident statistics reveal that 41,000 to 45,000 traffic deaths occur every year, less than 10% of those fatalities engage trucks or tractor trailers; the total costs for accidents represents $4,900 per second in the U.S. (this stats involve commercial and non commercial vehicles).
As you can see in these stats the trucking industry is one of the most productive businesses in the U.S. and it will keep growing in years to come. If you are want to enter this industry do not wait, investigate about the requirements you need to meet to become a truck driver and look for the best truck driving schools.