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Trucking is big business in this country. One reliable source offers the following statistics.
“The trucking companies, warehouses, and private sector in the U.S. employ an estimated 8.9 million people employed in trucking-related jobs; nearly 3.5 million were truck drivers. Of this figure, UPS employs 60,000 workers and 9% are owner-operators. LTL shippers account for around 13.6 percent of America’s trucking sector”(click on the website at the end of this blog for more information).
In addition, there are about 15 and a half million trucks on U.S. roadways of which 2 million are semis and trucks deliver 70% of all freight in the country. These figures give one cause to pause. I doubt there isn’t a person out there who hasn’t been annoyed by semi trucks on the road at one time or another.
They’re oversized and intimidating alongside any automobile or SUV on the market and there can be no question they are harmful to the environment. To safely pass one most people can be seen catching their breath and saying a silent prayer. The same holds true when a semi comes up behind you or zooms by with enough force to rock your vehicle.
Yet, a little respect, please. The trucking industry is vital to the American economy. Until someone either comes up with an alternative, viable solution for transporting goods from one coast to the other or Americans show signs of waning materialism – turning their backs on acquiring the latest anything – then semi trucks will be a regular spectacle on our highways and we all will need to drive safely.
Not only is the trucking industry important to our economy it is essentially indispensable to our continued growth and economic prosperity. While other forms of transportation have remained popular the backbone of our economy is the trucking industry.
It is for that reason that the governmental entities charged with the responsibility of regulating truck drivers and trucking companies struggle to maintain a balance between the safety of the public and the economic needs of the industry. While attorneys who handle truck accident cases may prefer more stringent rules and regulations, truck drivers and trucking companies are always fighting for less regulation and fewer safety rules.
With that background, both state and federal authorities work hard to balance the equities to keep our highways safe and the trucks running.
