Every day, millions of Americans get behind the wheel and head out on the highways to get to work. But for 3.6 million Americans, the highways are their workplace. They are the professional truck drivers who deliver the goods that keep our country moving.
Collectively, American truckers drive over 330 billion miles each year, or the equivalent of more than 13 million trips around the globe. Every one of those miles represents a stocked store shelf, a package placed on a household doorstep, raw materials delivered to a manufacturer, and equipment conveyed to a construction site.
CELEBRATING NATIONAL TRUCK DRIVER APPRECIATION WEEK
This week, we celebrate the 38th annual National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. This year’s national theme is — For the Miles You Drive and the Sacrifices You Make — a nod to the hundreds of billions of miles that professional truck drivers travel, crisscrossing our nation to get things where they need to be on time, safely, and securely every day.
The scale and reach of the trucking industry is simply enormous. Truck drivers deliver approximately 11 billion tons of freight each year, which is about 70% of all the freight moved in the United States. More than 80% of communities depend solely on trucks to receive their goods.
Approximately 8.4 million jobs are directly related to trucking activity, and countless more depend on truck drivers in some way. Practically every object that we touch was transported on the back of a truck at some point, and virtually every aspect of our lives is impacted by the work of the professionals who make these deliveries.
We owe truck drivers our deepest appreciation for the work they do. The trucking industry is the backbone of our economy, and our professional drivers are the industry’s heart. Their dependability and commitment to safety ensure that our quality of life remains high. We extend our most sincere thanks to America’s professional truck drivers, who move our great country forward and deserve our praise and recognition.
Source: American Trucking Association