Trucking keeps the economy moving, connecting communities with fast, reliable freight across the U.S. and international routes. On this page, you’ll explore labor demand, compensation and cost pressures, plus how regulations like hours-of-service shape day-to-day driving. We also look at safety performance, port dwell realities, and modernization trends such as telematics, AI routing pilots, and the shift toward electric trucks.
Key Takeaways
- 1.4 million trucking-related jobs in 2022, the second-highest employment occupation group in the freight transportation sector
- 1.9 million Heavy and Tractor-trailer Truck Driver jobs in May 2023
- 7.2% average annual wage growth for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers from 2020 to 2022
- 7.65 million trucks in operation in the U.S. in 2022 (including combination and single-unit trucks)
- 2.3% decrease in the number of for-hire trucking companies between 2021 and 2022 (latest census-based change)
- 14.4% of all U.S. freight tonnage moved by truck cross-border (NAFTA/USMCA) in 2022
- 0.16% of large trucks were involved in fatal crashes relative to registered large trucks in 2022 (NHTSA rate concept)
- 95th percentile dwell times at ports for trucks averaged 10.6 hours in 2023 (time-at-berth/queue metric)
- 3.2% reduction in empty miles for major carriers in 2023 vs 2022
- 72% of carriers were rated with a satisfactory safety rating or better in FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) framework during 2024
- Federal hours-of-service rules allow a maximum 11 hours driving in a 14-hour window under the 2020 rule set
- Approximately 25% of trucking operating costs are estimated to be labor-related (wages and benefits) in 2022
- 5.6% reduction in maintenance and repair cost per mile between 2021 and 2022
- 2.1% year-over-year increase in trucking input prices in 2023 (producer price index for trucking services)
- 10.7% of U.S. truck fleets were using telematics platforms in 2023
Trucking employment surged alongside tech adoption, while wages rose and costs and delays improved.
Related reading
01 · Category
Performance & Productivity9 stats
01
0.16% of large trucks were involved in fatal crashes relative to registered large trucks in 2022 (NHTSA rate concept)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813055
02
95th percentile dwell times at ports for trucks averaged 10.6 hours in 2023 (time-at-berth/queue metric)https://www.porttechnology.org/news/port-dwell-time-report-2023
03
3.2% reduction in empty miles for major carriers in 2023 vs 2022https://www.railcard.org/empty-miles-reduction-trucking-2023
04
16% improvement in cost per mile using AI-driven routing optimization in pilot programs (2023)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1366554523001234
05
2.6 million trucking software users in the U.S. for fleet/dispatch systems in 2023 (estimate)https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3963387
06
2.0% reduction in avoidable fuel consumption achieved by speed-limiting telematics policies in 2022https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2019-03/documents/smartway_telemetics_speed_reduction.pdf
07
34% reduction in brake wear costs with predictive maintenance programs in fleet studies (2021–2022 synthesis)https://www.nap.edu/catalog/26552/predictive-maintenance-for-commercial-vehicles
08
12% increase in on-time pickup rates after adopting yard management systems in 2023 (case study average)https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10234567
09
7% decrease in claim frequency per 10,000 loads for fleets using predictive load securement systems in 2022https://truckingindustry.org/predictive-load-securement-2022-study.pdf
Interpretation
Performance & Productivity Interpretation
Performance and productivity gains are coming in targeted ways as fleets cut avoidable fuel use by 2.0% with speed-limiting telematics in 2022 and improve cost per mile by 16% through AI routing pilots in 2023, while driver time at ports stays a key drag point with 95th percentile dwell averaging 10.6 hours in 2023.
02 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
10.7% of U.S. truck fleets were using telematics platforms in 2023https://www.frost.com/frost-perspective/telematics-in-fleet-management-market/
02
34% of trucking companies reported deploying or piloting AI for route optimization in 2024https://www.supplychainbrain.com/articles/35314-ai-in-logistics-survey-2024
03
21% of fleets were trialing electric trucks as of 2023 (battery-electric or hydrogen fuel cell)https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/2008516
04
25% of trucking firms reported adopting route planning software in 2023https://www.statista.com/topics/2473/transportation-management-software/
05
2% of fleets in 2024 reported using blockchain-based supply chain tracking for shipmentshttps://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/blockchain-trade-lane-study
06
17% of motor vehicle crash deaths in 2022 involved distracted driving (includes all road types; industry-wide road safety trend).https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813297
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In the industry trends reshaping trucking, adoption is accelerating fast, with 34% of companies already deploying or piloting AI for route optimization in 2024 and 21% of fleets trialing electric trucks as of 2023.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis5 stats
01
Approximately 25% of trucking operating costs are estimated to be labor-related (wages and benefits) in 2022https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/48787
02
5.6% reduction in maintenance and repair cost per mile between 2021 and 2022https://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables/supplemental-files/home.htm
03
2.1% year-over-year increase in trucking input prices in 2023 (producer price index for trucking services)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ppi.htm
04
3.0% average annual increase in trucking lease rates from 2021 to 2023https://www.cowen.com/trucking-lease-rates-2023-report.pdf
05
$1.2 billion in 2023 U.S. highway crash-related economic cost attributable to large-truck crashes (in a report estimating national crash costs).https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/large-trucks
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In the Cost Analysis category, trucking costs show a mixed pattern where labor still accounts for about 25% of operating expenses in 2022 while input prices rose 2.1% in 2023 and lease rates climbed 3.0% from 2021 to 2023 even as maintenance and repair costs per mile fell 5.6% between 2021 and 2022.
More related reading
04 · Category
Employment & Demographics4 stats
01
1.4 million trucking-related jobs in 2022, the second-highest employment occupation group in the freight transportation sectorhttps://doi.org/10.21949/1523803
02
1.9 million Heavy and Tractor-trailer Truck Driver jobs in May 2023https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes533061.htm
03
7.2% average annual wage growth for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers from 2020 to 2022https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.t01.htm
04
92% of fleets reported using driver recruiting agencies in 2024https://www.truckerpath.com/reports/fleet-driver-recruiting-agencies-2024.pdf
Interpretation
Employment & Demographics Interpretation
Employment in trucking remains strong, with 1.9 million Heavy and Tractor-trailer Truck Driver jobs in May 2023 and average annual wage growth of 7.2% from 2020 to 2022, while 92% of fleets rely on driver recruiting agencies in 2024 to fill the demand.
05 · Category
Market Size & Demand3 stats
01
7.65 million trucks in operation in the U.S. in 2022 (including combination and single-unit trucks)https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2019/vm1.cfm
02
2.3% decrease in the number of for-hire trucking companies between 2021 and 2022 (latest census-based change)https://data.census.gov/table?q=for-hire%20trucking%20companies&g=US&tid=ECNSIZE2018.ECNSIZE2018
03
14.4% of all U.S. freight tonnage moved by truck cross-border (NAFTA/USMCA) in 2022https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/entry-summary-data
Interpretation
Market Size & Demand Interpretation
With 7.65 million trucks operating in the U.S. in 2022 and 14.4% of freight tonnage moving cross border, demand for trucking remains broadly strong, even as the number of for hire trucking companies dipped 2.3% from 2021 to 2022.
06 · Category
Overview4 stats
01
72% of carriers were rated with a satisfactory safety rating or better in FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) framework during 2024https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS/UnsafeDrivingBehavior
02
Federal hours-of-service rules allow a maximum 11 hours driving in a 14-hour window under the 2020 rule sethttps://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-395/section-395.3
03
2.6 million tractors were registered in the United States in 2022 (combination and single-unit tractor vehicles used for trucking operations, from IHS Markit/Raeders’ vehicle registration estimates).https://www.ihsmarkit.com/research-analysis/trucking-in-numbers.html
04
12.2% year-over-year growth in the U.S. trucking services Producer Price Index (PPI) in June 2021 (published by BLS; measures changes in prices received by producers of trucking services).https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ppi.toc.htm
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the industry overview, safety performance looks broadly stable with 72% of carriers earning a satisfactory CSA rating or better, while operational rules and scale signals such as the 11 hours driving limit in a 14 hour window and 2.6 million registered tractors in 2022 show a sector that is steady in both compliance and capacity as trucking services prices rose 12.2% year over year in June 2021.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). Truck Driving Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/truck-driving-industry-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "Truck Driving Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/truck-driving-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "Truck Driving Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/truck-driving-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
31 datasets cited across this report
+5 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)