*This blog post was originally published in October of 2016 and has been updated to reflect industry changes.
The average person may not realize why trucking is so important. What they don’t know is that without trucks the things they take for granted would come to a grinding halt.
Trucking Helps Americans Eat and Drink
Most groceries get to stores on trucks. People who buy food online get it from delivery trucks. Major grocery stores would have big shortages in three days if trucks stopped running. Smaller stores would feel the effects even sooner. When people stock up on food during bad weather, trucks get new goods there quickly. Bottled water gets to stores or homes thanks to trucks. Even people who rely on tap water need trucks and truckers. The chlorine used in water treatment plants come by truck. If these trucks didn’t deliver, Americans would have to boil their water.
Health Care
Nursing homes and hospitals count on trucks to bring medical supplies and food. Drug stores, doctors, and hospitals would run out of drugs patients need to treat pain and keep them alive without trucks.
Trucks Keep the Rest of the Industry Moving
Some goods start their trip on trains and boats. They get to their final stop on trucks. Trucks bring the fuel that keeps the rest of the industry on the move, and the gas that keeps cars on the road and people on their way to work. If trucks stopped running, planes, trains, buses, and cars wouldn’t be far behind.
Retail
Retailers count on trucks to bring them a steady supply of stock. The expansion of online purchasing is possible because trucks are ready to deliver to homes. Paper goods, canned goods, and emergency items wouldn’t be ready in stores or for home delivery without the trucking industry.
Waste Removal
Millions of pounds of trash are moved each year by trucks. Trucks also deliver fuel to waste processing facilities to run their equipment. Not only would we have huge piles of trash without trucks, but we would also have the health hazards that come with it.
Trucks Keep Money Moving
Armored trucks not only deliver money to banks, but they also bring it to stores to get them open in the morning. Nobody wants to go to their favorite store and find out they aren’t open because there were no trucks to bring cash and coins. The ATMS that people rely on to take out money would be empty without trucks to bring more cash.
Trucks Keep Factories Moving
The parts needed for factories are often delivered to assembly lines by trucks. Final products are delivered around the country by truck. Imagine the impact to a region such as Cincinnati, with more than 2,500 manufacturers, without trucks and truckers.
As long as we keep trucks on the road, we keep America moving. We also keep people working, as the trucking industry employs over 800,000 people making good wages.
