Trucking is big business in this country. One reliable source offers the following statistics.
"The trucking companies, warehouses and private sector in the U.S. employs an estimated 8.9 million people employed in trucking-related jobs; nearly 3.5 million were truck drivers. Of this figure UPS employs 60,000 workers and 9% are owner operators. LTL shippers account for around 13.6 percent of America's trucking sector"(click on the website at the end of this blog for more information).
In addition, there are about 15 and a half million trucks on U.S. roadways of which 2 million are semis and trucks deliver 70% of all freight in the country. These figures give one cause to pause. I doubt there isn't a person out there who hasn't been annoyed by semi trucks on the road at one time or another.
They're oversized and intimidating alongside any automobile or SUV on the market and there can be no question they are harmful to the environment. To safely pass one most people can be seen catching their breath and saying a silent prayer. The same holds true when a semi comes up behind you or zooms by with enough force to rock your vehicle.
Yet, a little respect please. The trucking industry is vital to the American economy. Until someone either comes up with an alternative, viable solution for transporting goods from one coast to the other or Americans show signs of waning materialism - turning their backs on acquiring the latest anything - then semi trucks will be a regular spectacle on our highways and we all will need to drive safely.
Greg Baumgartner is a Texas 18 wheeler accident lawyer and the founder of the Baumgartner Law firm in Houston, Texas, which is dedicated to helping victims of 18 wheeler accidents seek civil justice. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a truck accident and want to speak with 18 wheeler accident lawyers call the Baumgartner firm.
