Real Stats of Logistics: Who's in the drivers seat?

The Real Stats of Logistics: Who’s in the driver’s seat?

Truck driving is the largest freight transportation occupation in the U.S. with over half of drivers operating heavy/tractor trailer trucks. The United States employs over 3 million truck drivers to keep important shipments on the move to where they need to go. By taking extraordinary measures to celebrate such times as National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, we attempted to highlight just how important this occupation is to our economy and daily lives.

Truck Driver Spotlight

Age of drivers: 46

According to surveys by ATA, the average driver age in the for-hire over-the-road truckload industry is 46. Driving is one of the few careers that appeals to a wide variety of ages! The trucking industry has an older population when compared to the median age for all U.S. workers is only 42. The average age of a new driver being trained is 35.

Drivers needed to hire per year: 110,000 – 231,000

The ATA estimates that the trucking industry will need to hire roughly 1.1 million new drivers over the next decade to keep up with demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor estimates the number will be even higher at 231,000 drivers needed per year! Replacing drivers and growing industries will trigger this need for more drivers.

Pay trends: Going up!

As drivers continue to be in demand the pay offering to them has increased. Many companies now offer an appealing sign-on bonus and other benefits to attract them to join.

Time on the road: Going down!

There has been a shift in how much time drivers must spend away from home. Retail distribution centers have greatly reduced the average length of haul which results in less time on the road for drivers. Drivers still spend a significant time on the road and take great pride in their on-the-road routines and setup.

Tons moved each year: 10.23 billion

Trucks transported 10.23 billion tons of freight in 2020. This is 72.5% of the total domestic tonnage shipped! These staggering numbers help put into perspective how important our industry is to the flow of goods and materials across the country.

Miles driven: 140 billion

All truck drivers in the U.S. drive roughly 140 billion miles every year. Each individual OTR driver will average around 125,000 miles per year or about 2,500 miles per week.

The face of trucking continues to evolve

A career in truck driving has become appealing to a wider array of people than in the past. There are a lot more women entering the industry and organizations have popped up to support their path into trucking. The organization, Women In Trucking , claims that over 13% of the over-the-road truck drivers are women. This is an increase of almost 30% since their 2018 survey. The American Trucking Association has even launched a Women in Motion program to encourage more women to consider a career in trucking and address industry policies that could impact them.

Let us help you keep your shipments moving. Work with safety-focused, experienced professionals. From dedicated trucking to site logistics, we develop customized solutions that provide safe, efficient benefit to our customers. Dupré operates?approximately 750 trucks, employs over 1,100 professional drivers, and has established a network of 10,000 preferred carriers for its SCS group.

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