The trucking industry is a vital pillar of the economy that most people underestimate as work. It is responsible for transporting 70% of all cargo in the United States, and 80% of American communities rely on trucks for the delivery of everyday products, ranging from raw materials, food, medicines and more. Almost every sector of the US economy depends on trucking and, if the industry ceased, many of our lives would be affected. Behind the scenes, industries such as mining, construction, utilities, infrastructure and heavy industry would collapse without the delivery of the products necessary for their operation. The electricity would be turned off in your home.
Hospitals would run out of supplies. The shelves at your local grocery store would be emptied. Gas stations would run out of fuel. In addition, there would be massive job losses, and the road transport sector would be responsible for the employment of approximately 7 million people, half of whom are truck drivers. The trucking industry is addressed in specific OSHA regulations for record keeping and the industry in general.
This section highlights OSHA standards and documents related to the trucking industry. The trucking industry is composed of small business owners, with 93 percent of interstate motor carriers (more than 500,000) operating 20 trucks or less. It is subdivided into general cargo trucks and specialized cargo trucks. This distinction reflects the differences in the equipment used, the type of cargo carried, the programming, the terminal and other network services. General cargo transportation facilities handle a wide variety of general products, usually palletized and transported in containers or van trailers.
Specialized cargo transportation is the transport of cargo that, due to its size, weight, shape or other inherent characteristics, requires specialized equipment for transportation. OSHA regulations govern the safety and health of workers and the responsibilities of employers to ensure their safety at the warehouse, pier, construction site and other locations where truckers go to deliver and pick up cargo across the country. While OSHA doesn't regulate self-employed truckers, it does regulate the workplaces where truckers deliver goods and the workers who receive them. The trucking industry is a vital part of many sectors in the US economy. It offers products that companies need to make a profit. According to the American Trucking Association, trucking is responsible for nearly 70 percent of all cargo shipped in the United States.
Employment trends in this industry have far-reaching implications. Road transport is essentially the lifeblood of manufacturing logistics. Without it, the entire supply chain could fall apart. In fact, about 71% of U. S.
cargo is moved by truck, equivalent to hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenues. Due to the shortage of truckers nationwide, freight prices have risen sharply in recent years. And this trend is expected to continue to the detriment of both food suppliers and restaurants. Reducing travel hours and increasing salaries can be key factors in hiring jobs in this industry. Transportation companies seek to fill employment gaps by hiring more young people and women who are generally underrepresented in this workforce. While this industry is decades old, it is still dynamic with consistent consumer demand making it as vital to the economy as ever. But none of its four administrators has ever held a commercial driver's license or had experience in this field. In addition to its economic importance, long-distance truck drivers spend much of their time on the road and may only see their families a few times a month.
This social isolation together with health difficulties such as lack of physical exercise and lack of sleep directly contribute to this shortage nationwide. For projected (future) employment estimates see The National Employment Matrix which includes employment estimates by industry and occupation for trucking. The trucking industry is an essential pillar of our economy that allows other industries to move products they need to make a profit. If this shortage isn't mitigated soon manufacturers in all sectors will have to look for other ways to meet their transportation needs. But experts predict that most supermarkets would start running out of food just three days after long-distance truckers stopped working. These industries are further divided into sub-industries: air transport and logistics airlines marine railways trucks airport services highways and railways ports and maritime services.
