Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Q: How many large trucks are on the road in the U.S.?

A: 2.3 million
(Source: American Trucking Associations)

Q: How many tractor-trailer drivers are there in the U.S.?

A: 3.12 million
(Source: American Trucking Associations)

Q: How many people does the trucking industry employ?

A: More than 9 million nationwide.
(Source: American Trucking Associations)

Q: How many trucking companies are there in the U.S.?

A: More than 500,000; 80 percent of them have 20 or fewer trucks.
(Source: American Trucking Associations)

Q: How important is trucking compared to other kinds of freight movement?

A: By 2008, the trucking industry will haul 9.3 billion tons, or over 64 percent, of total U.S. freight tonnage. By 2008, 87 cents out of every dollar of U.S. freight revenue will go to the trucking industry. 70 percent of U.S. communities depend solely on trucking for delivery of their goods and commodities.
(Source: American Trucking Associations)

Q: How many truckers use computers and the Internet?

A: While owner-operators and smaller fleets are less likely to have Internet access than larger fleets, nevertheless, 60% of owner-operators have Internet access, according to a January 2000 survey conducted by Harvey Research Co. for Newport Communications. More than 90% of fleets with 100 or more trucks have Internet access. These numbers have more than doubled compared to a 1997 Heavy Duty Trucking subscriber survey. The number one reason truck buyers use the Internet for work is e-mail.

Q: What is the difference between an independent owner-operator and a leased owner-operator?

A: Leased owner-operators lease their truck and their services to a motor carrier. The carrier of fleet books the freight, collects from shippers and provides some administrative services, such as fuel tax reporting. The owner-operator is responsible for all other aspects of his business. Being a leased owner-operator does not necessarily mean you "lease/purchase" your truck through the fleet you work for. Independent owner-operators are motor carriers in and of themselves, with operating authority from the U.S. Department of Transportation. They are responsible for getting their own customers and loads and are responsible for all aspects of their businesses. It is estimated that owner-operators make up about 70% of the interstate driver population. (Source: Profile of the Interstate Trucker, Newport Communications, 1999)

Q: How many truckers are women?

A: About 12% of owner-operators and nearly 10% of company drivers are female. More than three-quarters of female owner-operators are part of a driving team, typically husband and wife. (Source: Profile of the Interstate Trucker, Newport Communications, 1999)

Q: What education level do truckers have?

A: Nearly half of owner-operators and more than half of company drivers have at least some college. Nearly 87% of owner-operators and 90% of company drivers have a high school diploma or better. This is a higher level of education than among the general population age 20 and over, in which 83% are high school graduates or more. (Source: Profile of the Interstate Trucker, Newport Communications, 1999)

Q: What are the different Gross Vehicle Weight classes?

A: Class 8 – over 33,000 pounds (most on-highway tractors fall into this class)
Class 7 – 26,001-33,000 pounds
Class 6 – 19,501-26,000 pounds
Class 3-5: 10,001-19,500 pounds
Classes 1 & 2 – Under 10,000 pounds (pickup trucks, cargo vans and minivans)

Q: How much do truckers make?

A: Here are numbers from several sources:
· Newport Communications' 1999 Profile of the Interstate Trucker: The majority of company drivers have gross incomes between $30,000 and $50,000 per year. The bulk of owner-operators have gross incomes of between $100,000 and $150,000, but they must pay business expenses out of that.
· The American Trucking Associations' 2000 Driver Compensation Study indicates pay for both solo and team drivers increased more than 15 percent since 1997, to an average of $40,883 per year.
· The National Survey of Driver Wages reported that in the quarter ending August 2000, company drivers pulling dry vans earned an average of $38,458 per year, including benefits. For flatbed company drivers, it was $37,062, and for refrigerated drivers, $39,275. Owner-operators gross projected earnings were $92,641 for dry van, $86,856 for flatbed and $97,915 for refrigerated owner-operators

Q: How often are truckers at fault in crashes?

A: Some safety facts from the American Trucking Associations:
· In two-vehicle crashes involving a large truck and passenger vehicle, driver-related crash factors were coded for 26 percent of the truck drivers involved. In contrast, driver-related factors were coded for 82 percent of the passenger vehicle drivers involved.
· Drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal collisions with trucks were more likely than the drivers of trucks to be under 26 or over 65 years old, to have invalid drivers licenses, to be legally drunk, and to be cited for driver-related crash factors.
· In fatal crashes, three-fourths (76%) of truck drivers were using their seat belts, compared with only half (49%) of passenger vehicle drivers. The difference may account, in part, for the disproportionate number of passenger vehicle drivers killed in crashes with large trucks.
· It is more than twice as likely in fatal crashes between large trucks and passenger vehicles that the truck is struck in the rear than that the passenger vehicle is struck in the rear.
· In 89% of fatal head-on passenger vehicle/truck crashes, the passenger vehicle crossed the center line into the truck's lane, while in 11 percent of these crashes, the truck encroached into the passenger vehicle's lane.
· 35 percent of fatal passenger vehicle crashes occur in the four blind spots surrounding large trucks.
· In 71 percent of crashes, the police assigned one or more crash factors to the passenger vehicle driver and none to the truck driver.
· 92.2 percent of fatigue-related crashes involve drivers of passenger vehicles. Of all fatigue-related fatal crashes, only 6 percent involve truck drivers.
· The percentage of large truck drivers involved in fatal crashes who were intoxicated--with BAC of 0.10 (the level for intoxication in most states) was 1 percent in 1999. Intoxication rates for drivers of other types of vehicles involved in fatal crashes in 1999 were 17 percent for passenger cars, 20 percent for light trucks, and 28 percent for motorcycles.

Q: How much does a truck tractor cost?

A new tractor can cost from $70,000 to $115,000, depending on the equipment included. Heavily customized owner-operator rigs with all the bells and whistles have been known to cost even more.
(Source: American Trucking Associations)

Q: How much pollution do trucks put out?

A: Even though truck miles driven have increased by 56% since 1985, truck emissions of smog-forming compounds are down by 28 percent. New trucks manufactured in 2000 emit only one-eighth the pollution of heavy duty diesel trucks built just 15 years ago.
(Source: American Trucking Associations)