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ATA 'Trends' report: Trucking generated $676.2B in 2016, moves lion's share of freight
Trucking continues to generate billions as an industry, move the lion’s share of the nation’s freight and employ millions of Americans, including women and minorities.
Those are just some of the findings of the American Trucking Associations’ latest American “Trucking Trends 2017” report, issued today.
Trucking revenues for 2016 were $676.2 billion, accounting for 70.6 percent of all domestic freight tonnage and moving 10.42 billion tons of freight, the report stated. In fact, trucking made up 79.8 percent of the nation’s freight bill.
In addition, 7.4 million Americans are employed in trucking-related jobs, including 3.5 million truck drivers. Six percent of those drivers are women and 38.7 percent are minorities.
State and federal coffers were filled by taxes paid by commercial vehicle owners: $41.3 billion were paid in state and federal highway user fees and taxes, with the average five-axle tractor-trailer generating more than $5,600 in taxes each year.
Lest anyone forget that trucking is an industry of small businesses, 91 percent of motor carriers operate six or fewer trucks and 97.3 percent operate less than 20 trucks, the report showed.
A whopping 33.8 million trucks were registered for business purposes, including 3.68 million Class 8 vehicles.
Those 338 million trucks traveled 450.4 billion miles and used 38.8 billion gallons of diesel and 15.5 billion gallons of diesel.