Trucking ‘driving force’ behind economy

Revenues for domestic operators exceeded $700 billion in 2017, a 3.4 percent increase from the year before.    U.S.-based trucking operators carried 10.77 billion tons of freight in 2017, 3.4 percent more than in the previous year, according to the American Trucking Associations’ latest annual American Trucking Trends report.
   The increase in volumes translated to a 3.5 percent year-over-year gain in total trucking industry revenues to $700.1 billion, representing 79.3 percent of the nation’s overall freight bill compared with 79.8 percent in 2016.
   According to the report, trucks moved 70.2 percent of all domestic freight tonnage last year, down slightly from 70.6 percent the year before, 69.1 percent of all cargo between the United States and Mexico and 57.7 percent of U.S.-Canada trade.
   Trucking firms and related service providers employed roughly 7.7 million people last year, up from 7.4 million in 2016, while the number of actual truck drivers remained roughly the same at 3.5 million.
   Of the 3.5 million drivers in operation in 2017, ATA said minorities accounted for 40.6 percent of the driver workforce, up from 38.7 percent the previous year, and women accounted for 6.2 percent, up from 6 percent in the 2016 report.
   “Information, when presented properly and accurately, tells a story,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said of the report. “The information in these pages highlights exactly what I tell elected officials, regulators and key decision-makers every day: Trucking is literally the driving force behind our great economy.
   “Safe, reliable and efficient motor carriers enable businesses throughout the supply chain to maintain lean inventories, thereby saving the economy billions of dollars each year.”
   Added ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello, “Trucking is a critical part of the economy and the supply chain. Trends allows policymakers and business leaders to see just how big that impact is while debating key issues like trade, infrastructure investment, workforce development and tax policy.”