Top 25 Truckload Carriers: 2018 Revenues
| Rank | Carrier Name | 2017 Revenue ($ millions) |
|---|
| 1 | Swift Transportation | $3,344 |
| 2 | Schneider National | $2,457 |
| 3 | J.B. Hunt Transport Services | $2,097 |
| 4 | Landstar System* | $1,826 |
Automated vehicle technologies will support truck drivers, not replace them, says new study. Despite concerns that a rise in automated vehicles will displace significant numbers of truck drivers, a new report finds that only a modest number of truck driver jobs, if any, will be affected.
“Tariffs have been the driver in slowing down the entire global economy,” says Kenny Vieth of ACT Research. Tariffs and a looming trade war raise the risk of an economic recession, and Vieth noted that an industrial recession is already underway in the U.S., which has led to a freight recession across all segments.
The federal government estimated there are 1.8 million heavy-duty truck drivers in the US, though the American Trucking Associations estimated there are as many as 3.5 million. Robots may replace as many as 800 million workers by 2030; they've already displaced key blue-collar jobs across the US.
It will happen in stages. First, there will be automated trucks with a human driver as a failsafe. The technology will allow truckers to go beyond their current 11 hours per day on the road as the driver will be able to rest and do other things during long stretches.
3.5 million truck drivers
The shortage is expected to balloon to more than 160,000 by 2028, and ver the next decade, the industry will need to hire 1.1 million new drivers – many to replace older and retiring workers.
UPS drivers are all unionized. Because they are union, the company is not able to 'single out' workers for bad treatment ("if you don't take this crap salary with no benefits, you're fired"). As a result, the UPS drivers earn a higher salary.
These drivers earn, on average, roughly $19.82 an hour.
While this figure comes out to $41,267.20 a year for a 40-hour work week, drivers can expect to work more than 8 hours a day, especially during the peak holiday season.UPS also have traditions and beliefs and one thing they discourage their drivers is reverse driving. The drivers are not allowed to reverse unless they are backing into a loading dock.
One theme of the book is that truck driving, in the decades after World War II, often served as a solid middle class job—enabling truckers to be homeowners and/or support a family on one income. That's a contrast with how trucking is often portrayed today in political discussions.
In truck: Types and definitions. A straight truck is one in which all axles are attached to a single frame. An articulated vehicle is one that consists of two or more separate frames connected by suitable couplings.
Trucker Loneliness. Research shows that truck drivers are prone to feeling alone due to their job responsibilities. Truck driving requires little interaction with people, so some might say this is the job they've always dreamed of.
Thanks. Learning to drive an 18 wheeler for me was extremely stressful, but it did not take a long time. While I was out with a driving instructor I only spent about a total of 3 hours behind the wheel learning to make turns and shift properly enough to pass the driving test. But it felt like a very long 3 hours.
The money is good, but depending on where you go to work it can take anywhere from 5-10 years to get into a driving position, and even after that you will be at the bottom of the seniority list leaving you just as the fill in driver which could also last a couple years at least.
Learning to drive the truck is pretty easy for almost everyone. There are a few skills used in driving the truck that give most people some difficulty at first (back the trailer and shifting gears) but if you follow instructions and do what they say you/anyone can do it.
Truck Driving: Still a Dangerous Job. Truck driving is the eighth most dangerous occupation in the U.S., based on fatality rates per 100,000 workers. Truck drivers have a workplace fatality rate six times higher than the U.S. average of 3.2, according to the BLS data.
Driving a truck can be a difficult and stressful job. Drivers are responsible for vehicles that often weigh over 26,000 pounds and often lose sleep to meet strict delivery deadlines.
Heavy-duty truck fatalities rose 3 percent in 2017 compared with 2016. Trucking as a profession had 26.8 deaths per 10,000 workers, compared with 3.5 deaths per 10,000 for all professions.
Trucking Company Pay Rankings
| Pay Ranking | Company | Pay Per Hour |
|---|
| 1 | Sysco | $41.93 |
| 2 | Wal-Mart | $41.35 |
| 3 | GP Transco | $40.38 |
| 4 | Epes Transport | $40.35 |
The trucking industry has been in a recession for a while. Now—after the Covid-19 coronavirus has pummeled the sector—trucking stocks reflect that fact. But shipping is volatile and freight goes into and out of recession about twice as often as the broader economy.
The main reasons behind why small trucking or transportation companies fail: Lack of planning. Poor Management. Low cash-flow.
So far this year, trucking companies have failed at nearly triple the rate of 2018. According to Donald Broughton, principal and managing partner of data firm Broughton Capital, 795 companies have failed in 2019. That was, however, a “historically record-low rate for trucking company failures,” Broughton said.
Falcon Transport — 585 drivers
Ohio-based Falcon Transport, which was known as one of the "largest flatbed operators in the country," shut its doors April of 2019 with 723 trucks in its operations, causing 585 drivers to lose their jobs, Freight Waves reported.The past decade had steady economic growth with an extra boost in the last two years. While trucking looks set to keep growing, there are signs that growth in 2019 will slow down. Issues in politics and trade along with a mildly overheated stock market mean the economy may have peaked last year.
Employment of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2018 to 2028, about as fast as the average for all occupations. As the demand for goods increases, more truck drivers will be needed.
