You’ve heard it before, “When truck drivers stop, America stops.” Well, it’s a good thing we don’t have to worry about that happening any time soon.
In 2018, hard-working truck drivers hauled about 70% of the nation’s freight — more than 11 billion tons. With about 3.5 million truck drivers currently employed, it’s the most popular profession in as many as 29 states.
It’s important to pay tribute to each of those drivers during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (9/9 – 9/15) — but it’s not enough. These men and women are on the road night and day, through rain, sleet, snow and other harsh conditions, all so the rest of us can live comfortably with the food, equipment, health supplies and other goods we often take for granted.
At more than 70 feet in length, most tractor-trailers are hard to miss on the road. It’s a lot easier to miss the sacrifices those behind the wheel make to be there:
On the road again. Even though some trucking companies like Alabama Motor Express try to minimize repetitive long truck runs for drivers, the average truck driver is behind the wheel and on the road for up to 240 days per year.
Many of these drivers cover 125,000 (or more) miles per year — and may tally three million or more miles driving tractors in their careers. That’s a lot of time away from friends and family. That’s why we thank both the drivers, as well as their loved ones, for their dedication.
Safety first. The road is a dangerous place for all of us. Hundreds of professional truck drivers are killed on our roads annually, with the vast majority of those accidents caused by other vehicles.
Many in the trucking industry have invested in advance technologies, including air-disc brakes, automated braking systems, and safety monitoring systems, to help our drivers make it home safely more routinely. It’s estimated that the accident rate per 100 million miles has dropped 74% since 1980 because of technology and training.
Meeting expectations. Most consumers don’t care about what happens behind the scenes. They just want to purchase their goods — from milk to furniture to medicines to new automobiles — when it’s most convenient. Our nation’s truck drivers meet the tightest deadlines with great consistency, so you can have what you want, when you want it. These brave men and women fuel our entire commerce system through their hard work and commitment.
As a trucking company started 30 years ago by a truck driver, AMX knows what it’s like to be behind the wheel. We realize that one week of appreciation isn’t enough. But it’s a great way to raise awareness for everyday unsung heroes on our nation’s highways.
We applaud America’s truck drivers for their sacrifices. We thank them for their service. And we honor them for doing their best to keep the rest of us safe.
Keep America moving. Keep on trucking.
