A big dip for big rigs

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By the Numbers

Illustration by Krieg Barrie

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430K

The number of truck drivers delivering general freight in the United States, according to the American Trucking Associations, down from 465,000 at the beginning of 2020. The drop is causing renewed concerns about a truck driver shortage. An executive with a Virginia-based fuel distributor reported his company’s gas station clients had run dry 1,200 times since June due to driver shortages. “The young people don’t want to do this job anymore,” Brad Zeilinger, a three-decade veteran trucker, told NPR. “My generation is on the way out the door.”

$47,130

Median annual income for U.S. tractor-trailer drivers in 2020.

48

Average age of a truck driver in the United States, according to a 2021 Department of Transportation report.

90%

The share of new long-haul truckers who quit the industry within the first year on the job, according to NPR.

72.5%

The share of freight in the United States hauled by trucks, according to the American Trucking Associations.

Business & Economy