30+ Trucking Statistics & Fact Must Know (2024)

Trucking plays an important role in the supply chain. But just how significant is the industry in terms of numbers?

With that in mind, we’ll cover key trucking statistics to provide insights into this essential sector.

Trucking Industry Statistics: Key Numbers

• There are 3.5 million truckers in the U.S.
• 9 million people work in the trucking industry.
• There are 1,102,799 for-hire trucking carriers in the U.S.

• 1 out of every 9 drivers is an owner-operator (O/O).
• 90% of trucking companies run 6 trucks or fewer.
• 70% of all freight is delivered by truck drivers.
• Truck drivers cover over 140 billion miles annually.
• Truck drivers deliver almost 11.5 billion tons of freight each year.
• Truck drivers deliver goods worth over $1.2 trillion.
• The economy is the top concern in the trucking industry, with an index score of 100.0.

Source: (Trucking, Twitter, Trans Solutions Inc, Zippia, Trucking Info, Next Big Future, JX Enterprises, GlobeNewswire.)

Global Trucking Industry Market Size

The global trucking industry is growing fast with the market size set to rise every year. Here’s a quick look at what the future holds:

Year	Market Size (Billion)
2022	$745.11
2023	$825.51
2024	$914.58
2025	$1,013.26
2026	$1,122.59
2027	$1,243.72
2028	$1,377.92
2029	$1,526.6
2030	$1,691.32
2031	$1,873.81
2032	$2,075.99

Source:  Precedence Research

Truckers Demographics

Truckers come from all sorts of age groups and backgrounds, making the industry pretty diverse. Here’s a breakdown of the key demographics:

Source: (Truck Insurance Nitic, Zippia)

Truck Driver Shortage Statistics

The truck driver shortage is becoming a huge problem, and it’s only getting worse. Here’s how things have changed over the years:

Year	Truck Driver Shortage (in 1,000s)
2011	9
2012	14
2013	19
2014	41
2015	45
2016	50
2017	60
2018	59
2019	54.5
2020	80.5
2021*	89
2022*	97
2023*	106
2024*	115
2025*	133.5
2026*	142.5
2027*	152.5
2028*	162

* denotes forecasted figures.

Source: Statista

Trucking Accident Statistics

Truck accidents cause a lot of injuries and deaths every year, hitting pedestrians and passenger vehicles hard. Here’s a look at the key stats:

• There are approximately 388,000 truck accidents in the United States every year.
• 28% of these accidents result in injuries.
• 11% of these accidents are fatal.
• 15% of truck accidents involved pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists.
• 68% of truck accidents involved occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles.
• A total of 4,714 people died in large truck crashes in 2021.
• There were 13.49 fatal large truck crashes per million people in the United States in 2020, a 27-percent increase from 10.6 in 2010.
• The number of injuries in large-truck crashes increased by 5% in 2021.

Source: (Frost Law Firm, Gary Martin Hays, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Maryland Injury Attorney Blog, FMCSA, Injury Facts.)

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— Lucky Charles (@2Don197120901) August 13, 2024

Share of Total Average Marginal Costs For Trucking Carriers

Trucking companies have many costs that add up to their overall average costs. Wages and fuel costs are two of the biggest ones. Here’s how these costs break down across different areas:

• Driver wages: 34%
• Fuel costs: 22%
• Truck payments: 15%
• Repair & maintenance: 9%
• Driver benefits: 10%
• Insurance: 5%
• Tolls & tires: 2% each
• Permits & licenses: 1%

Source: American Transportation Research Institute

Top Trukcing Industry Concerns Statistics

The trucking industry is dealing with some big issues, from the economy to driver challenges. Here are some of the most important issues affecting the industry:

• Economy: 100.0.
• Truck parking: 94.0.
• Fuel prices: 87.7.
• Driver shortage: 81.8.
• Driver compensation: 76.1.
• Lawsuit abuse reform: 67.5.
• Driver distraction: 59.4.

Source: American Transportation Research Institute