U.S. diesel costs fell by 0.87 year over year, helping offset pressure as operating expenses remain high. Truck driver average annual wages reached $46,570 in 2023, while U.S. trucking fuel spending totals about $2.8 billion per year. These numbers set the economic context for how trucking performance and planning are changing.
Key Takeaways
- $87.6 billion 2023 U.S. trucking industry revenue (NAICS 484)
- $945.0 billion 2023 U.S. truck transportation receipts (freight trucking and related services, NAICS 484)
- 2.1% average annual growth rate for U.S. freight trucking revenues projected for 2024–2029
- 3.7 million people employed in transportation and material moving occupations (May 2023, BLS)
- Tens of thousands of drivers are added annually via training pipelines; 2022–2023 CDL training capacity increased in the U.S. (industry estimate)
- 1.0% year-over-year decrease in trucking employment in the U.S. during 2023 (BLS, employment by industry)
- 9% of freight moved by truck in the U.S. is intercity rather than local (FHWA Freight Facts and Figures, 2022)
- 1.1 million commercial vehicles used for freight operations in Canada (Transport Canada registry summary)
- $4.19 per gallon average diesel price in the U.S. in July 2022 (EIA)
- 0.87 year-over-year decline in U.S. consumer price index for diesel fuel (CPI, 2024 vs 2023)
- U.S. average annual wage for truck drivers increased to $46,570 in 2023 (BLS)
- 34% of fleets use route optimization software (2023 survey, FreightTech)
- 5.6% average reduction in fuel consumption from aerodynamic trailer technologies (peer-reviewed study)
- $1.2 billion annual value of logistics digital transformation market (Arcadis/IDC)
- In 2022, California had 3,000+ zero-emission trucks operating or ordered under incentives (CALSTART)
U.S. trucking is a $945 billion freight engine adding drivers despite rising fuel and insurance costs.
Related reading
01 · Category
Efficiency & Tech9 stats
01
34% of fleets use route optimization software (2023 survey, FreightTech)
02
5.6% average reduction in fuel consumption from aerodynamic trailer technologies (peer-reviewed study)
03
$1.2 billion annual value of logistics digital transformation market (Arcadis/IDC)
04
58% of shippers plan to increase the use of digital freight platforms in 2024 (Transp. industry survey)
05
$2.0 billion global connected vehicle in logistics market forecast for 2025 (Gartner)
06
15% of trucking firms reported using AI for dispatch or routing in 2024 (industry survey, Zebra)
07
8% improvement in on-time performance from predictive ETA systems (industry study, SmartDrive)
08
25% of fleets report using onboard sensors to monitor engine diagnostics (2022 Telematics survey)
09
16% of fleets use dashcams to reduce accidents (2023 survey, KeepTruckin)
Interpretation
Efficiency & Tech Interpretation
Efficiency and tech in trucking are accelerating fast, with 34% of fleets already using route optimization software and 58% of shippers planning to expand digital freight platforms in 2024, signaling that digitization is becoming the main lever for operational gains.
02 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
$87.6 billion 2023 U.S. trucking industry revenue (NAICS 484)
02
$945.0 billion 2023 U.S. truck transportation receipts (freight trucking and related services, NAICS 484)
03
2.1% average annual growth rate for U.S. freight trucking revenues projected for 2024–2029
04
$16.2 billion total revenue for trucking equipment and parts in the U.S. (2023, IBISWorld estimate)
05
14% year-over-year decline in the number of large truck tires produced in the U.S. in 2023 (rolling 12-month comparison).
06
The U.S. freight transportation system generated $958 billion in direct costs for roadway freight in 2022 (road freight share).
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the Market Size outlook, U.S. trucking is still a massive and growing sector with 2023 revenues of $87.6 billion under NAICS 484 and $945.0 billion in related truck transportation receipts, while projections point to a modest 2.1% average annual growth for freight trucking revenues from 2024 to 2029.
03 · Category
Pricing & Economics6 stats
01
$4.19per gallon average diesel price in the U.S. in July 2022 (EIA)
02
0.87 year-over-year decline in U.S. consumer price index for diesel fuel (CPI, 2024 vs 2023)
03
U.S. average annual wage for truck drivers increased to $46,570in 2023 (BLS)
04
$2.8 billion annual industry spending on fuel in the U.S. trucking sector (U.S. DOT analysis estimate, 2021)
05
$2.2 million cost of operating a tractor in first year (FMCSA cost model)
06
16% of respondents reported higher insurance premiums in 2024 (Cass Information Systems survey)
Interpretation
Pricing & Economics Interpretation
For the Pricing & Economics angle, the combination of a $4.19 average U.S. diesel price in July 2022 and a 16% jump in insurance premiums in 2024 alongside a rising driver wage to $46,570 in 2023 underscores how multiple cost pressures are stacking up across trucking, even as diesel CPI declined by 0.87 year over year from 2023 to 2024.
More related reading
04 · Category
Industry Trends5 stats
01
In 2022, California had 3,000+ zero-emission trucks operating or ordered under incentives (CALSTART)
02
0.02% of heavy-duty vehicles are zero-emission nationwide (U.S. DOE AFDC, 2023)
03
$100 million global investment in trucking automation and robotics (McKinsey, 2023 logistics)
04
47% of shippers indicated they use electronic data interchange (EDI) for order/shipment data exchange (2024 survey).
05
Heavy-duty trucking accounts for 24% of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. (share of sector emissions).
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Even though heavy-duty trucking drives 24% of the U.S. transportation greenhouse gas emissions, just 0.02% of heavy-duty vehicles are zero-emission nationwide, underscoring that the industry still has a long way to go on clean transitions even as momentum builds through investments in automation robotics and growing use of EDI for digital freight data exchange.
05 · Category
Labor & Workforce4 stats
01
3.7 million people employed in transportation and material moving occupations (May 2023, BLS)
02
Tens of thousands of drivers are added annually via training pipelines; 2022–2023 CDL training capacity increased in the U.S. (industry estimate)
03
1.0% year-over-year decrease in trucking employment in the U.S. during 2023 (BLS, employment by industry)
04
1.4 million Americans employed as heavy vehicle and tractor-trailer truck drivers (2023, BLS estimate)
Interpretation
Labor & Workforce Interpretation
In the Labor and Workforce category, trucking remains a massive employer with 1.4 million heavy vehicle and tractor-trailer drivers and 3.7 million people overall in transportation and material moving, even as trucking employment dipped by 1.0% year over year in 2023 and training pipelines expanded to help replenish tens of thousands of drivers.
06 · Category
Industry Overview5 stats
01
9% of freight moved by truck in the U.S. is intercity rather than local (FHWA Freight Facts and Figures, 2022)
02
1.1 million commercial vehicles used for freight operations in Canada (Transport Canada registry summary)
03
In 2022, the average U.S. single-vehicle registration cost for a combination truck was $7,821(average annual vehicle registration fee level).
04
Large truck rollovers caused 22% of all crash fatalities among large trucks in 2021 (NHTSA/large truck crash injury severity breakdown).
05
In 2023, 26% of motor carriers reported using biometrics or advanced authentication for driver access to company systems (security adoption).
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across this Industry Overview snapshot, trucking shows both operational scale and rising complexity with 9% of U.S. freight moved intercity rather than local, 22% of large truck crash fatalities linked to rollovers in 2021, and 26% of motor carriers in 2023 using biometrics or advanced authentication for driver access to company systems.
report visual · Key figures
Tech & Digital Adoption in Trucking (Selected Stats)
Adoption of key digital and analytics tools is growing, with major shares of fleets and shippers using platforms and data exchange methods.
34%
34% of fleets use route optimization software (2023 survey, FreightTech)
15%
15% of trucking firms reported using AI for dispatch or routing in 2024 (industry survey, Zebra)
25%
25% of fleets report using onboard sensors to monitor engine diagnostics (2022 Telematics survey)
47%
47% of shippers indicated they use electronic data interchange (EDI) for order/shipment data exchange (2024 survey).
58%
58% of shippers plan to increase the use of digital freight platforms in 2024 (Transp. industry survey)
source-verifiedfleetowner.com · zebra.com · samsara.com · supplychainbrain.com · arkieva.com2024
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Sophie Moreland. (2026, February 13). Trucking Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/trucking-statistics
MLA
Sophie Moreland. "Trucking Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/trucking-statistics.
Chicago
Sophie Moreland. 2026. "Trucking Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/trucking-statistics.
Sources & references
35 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+8 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)