Trucking Industry

The global industry that moves raw materials, work in process and finished goods over land by truck, carrying merchandise from manufacturers to retail distribution points and supporting construction with specialized vehicles such as dump trucks and concrete mixers. In the United States, where trucks handle the majority of domestic freight and the industry employs approximately 10 million workers, more than 80 percent of communities depend exclusively on trucking to receive fuel, medicine, clothing and consumer goods, summed up in the industry saying that if you bought it, a truck brought it. The industry is highly fragmented, with 93 percent of interstate carriers operating 20 or fewer trucks and even the largest firms, such as J.B. Hunt, YRC Worldwide and FedEx, each controlling only around 2.5 percent of the market, and it contributes roughly 5 percent of United States gross domestic product directly, operating under safety regulation from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and highway oversight from the Federal Highway Administration.