The trucking industry is America’s economic backbone, pure and simple. In fact, “nearly 70 percent of freight tonnage” in the U.S. is moved by trucks, according to the American Trucker Association. That’s a pretty staggering number when you consider what would happen to the national economy if all those trucks suddenly stopped moving.

But delving into the stats on the trucking industry can provide a pretty interesting picture. Take a look at the stats from Truckinginfo.net and Business Insider to get a “by the numbers” view of what trucking means to you and the American economy:

8.9 million: People in the U.S. are employed by trucking companies, warehouse and the private sector. Of that number, nearly 3.5 million are truck drivers. Also, UPS employs 60,000 of these workers.

15.5 million: Trucks operate in the U.S. and 2 million are tractor-trailers.

1.2 million: It is estimated that there are more than 1.2 million trucking companies in the U.S. alone with 97 percent operating 20 or fewer trucks.

$255.5 billion: Trucking companies generated revenue estimated at $255.5 billion –$18 billion more than air transportation.

432.9 billion: The trucking industry logs more than 432.9 billion miles per year.

$37,770: The average mean salary of truck/delivery drivers and tractor-trailer drivers.

30.3: Truckers make an estimated average of 30.3 centers per mile.

$4,422: The average value of shipped goods per second is $4,422, which comes out to $382,090,411 per day.

2,965: The total distance traveled in highway miles per second by truckers is 2,965, which comes out to 256,197,260 miles per day.

5: The top five tractor-trailer registrations by state are Florida, Texas, California, Alabama and Georgia.

52 billion: The industry uses 52,300,000,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year.

12.8 percent: Of all the fuel purchased in the U.S. is by the trucking industry.

9 percent: Of the estimated 41-45,000 traffic deaths each year in the U.S., less than 9 percent involve commercial vehicles.

3: Regular motor vehicles are 3 times more likely to be in an accident than a truck.

16: Only 16 percent of truck-driving accidents are the truck driver’s fault.

2.4 percent: Of all car accidents involve a commercial truck.

68 percent: Of truck accidents happen in rural areas.

51.3 percent: Of the problems truckers deal with on the road are attributed to truck tires.

Those are a lot of numbers to digest, and there’s even more where those came from. However, all those add up to a very important industry with regard to the big picture: The U.S. economy.

And with all that driving, if you ever need any help staying on the road, remember North Dixie Truck and Trailer, Inc. is your 24-hour emergency service provider. Call us at 1-800-440-9523 when an accident strikes and we’ll come to you for immediate help. And don’t forget, for all necessary maintenance (419-221-3750) and parts (419-222-8785), NDI has all the certifications and equipment you need.