As of October 2019, there are around 3.5 million truck drivers in the USA. This number, however, represents only the truck drivers, the total number of people employed in the trucking industry exceeds 8 million.
Are truck drivers still in demand?
Even though we witnessed a few companies shutting down, truck drivers are still in demand, and truckers of those companies will probably find new jobs very fast.
There’s still plenty of freight to haul, and even though the market doesn’t look that great when compared to last year, there’s still enough job demand for a trucker to earn his pay.
We’re highly in demand and we’re often looking for good drivers to meet the needs of our customers.
Apply here for the best rates (70 CPM & 60 CPM) and miles in the country!
Why are truck drivers in the USA important?
Trucking drives the economy and the economy drives trucking. It’s an inseparable bond. Truckers are also the first to signal the general state of the economy. If consumer confidence is high, so will be the demand for transportation of the goods they’re buying.
Truck drivers are one of the best examples of the American dream. One of the most frequent routes to business ownership is owning and operating a truck or a small fleet.
Over 90% of carriers operate with 6 or fewer trucks, meaning that the trucking industry is made up of small business owners.
Is trucking a good carrier choice?
When compared to average household income, truck drivers in the USA still make a good living. Truck drivers average salary is still bigger than the average middle-class worker.
But, overall, is it a good carrier choice?
For those who want to earn decent money fast with minimum entry requirements, absolutely. The main problem the truck drivers have is not getting enough miles or getting low rates for the miles they get.
You can often see companies offer a decent CPM, but when the driver starts working with them, he gets around 2500 miles per week, which results in not so great earnings.
It’s important to do the math before applying for a driver position with a carrier. High rates, high miles is the best formula for great earnings!
Our drivers average around 3000+ miles per week with 60 or 70 CPM, based on the division.
What does the future hold?
With recent innovations in the industry in the form of self-driving trucks and volatility of the market, there’s a debate among truck drivers in the USA what will happen in the near future.
Self-driving trucks are a reality, but also the reality is that they won’t be able to automate everything a trucker does on a daily basis.
In Conclusion
Truck drivers in USA are still making good money on average. Some better, some worse, depending on their company and the lanes they run.
OTR is still the way to go if you aim for the highest earnings possible, while regional and local have significantly lower rates.