Trucks are an essential part of every country’s business ecosystem. While planes and ships bring in cargo from across the world, trucks move the freight within the country and help them reach the right destination. In 2019, 11.84 billion tons of freight were hauled by trucks in the US alone, driving over 791 billion. Isn’t it interesting to know how much business a simple-looking truck brings to the nation and how they make our lives simple without realizing it? Are you interested in knowing more about trucks and logistics? Read on for ten interesting trucking and logistic facts that you might not know!
1. The Different Truck Types
When we think of transportation and logistics, the first image that comes to our mind is a huge truck carrying packages or the tow truck that comes to our rescue when the car needs repair. However, the logistics industry has around ten different types of trucks classified under three categories. When you visit australiawidehaulage.com.au, you will notice a different truck type assigned for different transportation needs based on the logistical needs of the business. For instance, the trucks used for transporting heavy mining and earthmoving equipment cannot be the same as the trucks used to move logs, snowploughs and automobiles. Similarly, a construction site might need a semi-trailer truck, a dump truck, and a tow truck. While all of them perform the same function of moving goods from one place to another, they all serve a different purpose.
2. Employment Generator
The trucking, warehousing, and transportation industry are instrumental in creating numerous jobs. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics report, over 5.2 percent of the Australian workforce is working directly or indirectly in trucking, transportation, and logistics. While this includes the transportation of people and cargo, it still gives a clear picture of the industry’s vast size and its contribution to the nation’s economy.
Of this, the warehousing and storage division of the logistics industry employs over one million people. So, it is no wonder that they have a revenue of over $102.87 billion. To meet the growing demand in transport and logistics services, the government offers TLI – Transport and Logistics Training Package to increase skilled labor in the industry.
3. The French Connection
Logistics is a word that can be traced back to 19th century France where the word logistique was used to describe the transportation of soldiers, military supplies, and warfare material. It was only several decades later that the civilians started using it. In the present day scenario, the term is used to describe the systematic procedure of transporting commodities and services from the point of origin to the point of consumption, making it an integral part of the supply chain process.
4. Truckers and Their Time Away From Home
We all know that truckers drive from one end of the country to another moving cargo. While it is common knowledge that this is a time-consuming process, did you know how many days they spend on their cross-country trip? A recent study found that an average trucker spends over 240 days on the road for more than seven months.
5. The Distance Covered
Another research found that logistics drivers are expected to cover over 125,000 a year. This comes to around 2,500 miles every week, which is more than 500 miles a day. While the cross-country trips could be fun, the distance they drive could make it exhausting. If you are worried about the long distances you can always swap to enclosed auto shipping to keep your items free from dust over much longer travel routes.
6. Increase in Eco-Friendly Vehicles
The demand for freight transport is increasing with every passing day. All the cross-country transportation could lead to an increase in the pollution levels across the country and impact the ecological balance and the health of the citizens. This is forcing manufacturers to produce environmentally friendly machines while being easy to go long distances. As a result, Australia has seen a significant fall in greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation industry and accounts for just 21 percent of the nation’s emissions.
7. The Regulations
The National regulation requires truckers to drive for no longer than 12 hours a day to prevent accidents and exhaustion among truckers. The regulation also requires truck drivers carrying heavy freight to rest for four hours between their drives to prevent accidents.
To make the roads further safe and prevent accidents, a few freight companies transporting heavy pieces of equipment hire two drivers for every truck. The drivers share the driving distance when moving cross-country so that they can rest while the other is driving and the freight reaches the destination on time.
8. Integral Than Railways
A heavy freight truck can carry over four and a half tonnes of weight and can 715 miles a day if driven at 65 miles per hour. As freight transport covers more area than the railways of Australia, it is integral to both National and International trade and commerce. This makes truckers an important player in the nation’s economy.
9. Male-Dominated Industry
When the topic of a truck driver or a logistics person comes up, the common mental image we form is of a young and fit person in his prime capable of moving weights. This is because the trucks industry has been a significantly male-dominated industry, with just six percent of the over-the-road truck drivers being women. While the number of women pursuing a career as truck drivers is increasing considerably over the past few years, the numbers are still bleak. The reasons for it are numerous, including the huge pay gap, security, and lack of amenities while on the road.
10. The Global Shortage
There is a massive shortage in the number of qualified and licensed truck drivers worldwide. While the US has over 15.5 million trucks, they have only 3.5 million qualified truck drivers who are responsible for seventy percent of the freight transport. The disparity in the demand and supply remains the same worldwide. Yet another challenge the logistics industry faces is that only five percent of the truck drivers are in the age group of 20 to 24, while 29 percent are around 45 to 55 years. Transport companies worldwide are facing the challenge of recruiting young skilled truck drivers.
Do you know any other fun facts about the trucking and logistics industry? Don’t forget to mention them in the comments section.
