Trucking shipments grew again in May as the industry saw a 2.3 percent increase from the previous month and a 6.7 percent increased from the previous year.
“After bouncing around in a fairly tight band during the previous three months, tonnage skyrocketed in May,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said in a statement. “The 6.8 percent surge in new housing starts during May obviously pushed tonnage up as home construction generates a significant amount of truck tonnage.”
Costello said that commercial trucking “serves as a barometer of the U.S. economy,” and represents nearly 70 percent of tonnage shipped in America.
The growth in the commercial trucking sector comes at a time when other transportation modes are declining.
“With traditional rail commodities such as coal and grain faltering in recent years, petroleum shipments have ensured industry growth,” said Rosalyn Wilson, a supply chain expert and senior business analyst with Vienna, Va.-based Delcan Corp.
The trucking industry is showing great growth in recent years and that has led many jobseekers to consider a new career as a truck driver. Higher than average starting pay, good benefits and job security are all reasons the industry has grown while other industries have faltered. The growth of the trucking industry has led to high demand for professionally trained truck drivers, like those who graduated from Hamrick School.