In its annual report on trucking trends, American Trucking Associations reported that the trucking industry generated $700.1 billion in annual revenue in 2017, marking 79.3% of the nation’s freight bill.

“Information, when presented properly and accurately, tells a story,” Chris Spear, ATA president and CEO, said. “The information in these pages highlights exactly what I tell elected officials, regulators and key decision-makers every day: trucking is literally the driving force behind our great economy. Safe, reliable and efficient motor carriers enable businesses throughout the supply chain to maintain lean inventories, thereby saving the economy billions of dollars each year.”

Among the findings in this year’s report include:

• Trucks moved 10.77 billion tons of freight, which was 70.2% of all domestic freight tonnage.
• The industry generated $700.1 billion in annual revenue in 2017, which was 79.3% of the nation’s freight bill.
• The industry moved 69.1% of all trade between the U.S. and Mexico, and 57.7% of Canada-U.S. trade.
• Roughly 7.7 million people were employed in jobs related to trucking activity, including 3.5 million drivers.
• Of those 3.5 million drivers, there were 1.7 million heavy and tractor-trailer drivers. Minorities account for 40.6% of all drivers and 6.2% of truck drivers are women.

“Trucking is a critical part of the economy and the supply chain,” Bob Costello, ATA chief economist, said. “Trends allows policymakers and business leaders to see just how big that impact is while debating key issues like trade, infrastructure investment, workforce development and tax policy.”