Economic Impact of the Trucking Industry
The importance of trucking is communicated by the industry adage: “If you bought it, a truck broiught it.” Retail stores, hospitals, gas stations, garbage disposal, construction sites, banks, and even a clean water supply depends entirely upon trucks to distribute vital cargo. Even before finished products reach the stores, the raw materials and other stages of production materials that go into manufacturing any given product are moved by trucks.
Many nations, including the United States, rely on commercial trucking for the economy to function. Lots of products need to be transported through trucks. From agricultural to industrial sectors, all need a truck to deliver their supplies and end products. Indeed, trucks are visible proofs that the nation’s economy is doing good.
During these times, railroads are primarily used to haul large quantities of cargo over long distances. Still, unless the companies or establishments are directly connected to the railroad, the cargo still needs to be delivered by trucks the rest of the way. Furthermore, the recent implementation of “just in time” strategies facilitated the increased use of trucks to help satisfy the businesses’ fluid inventory needs. This is really helpful as with this strategy, businesses are able to reduce costs associated with excess inventory and large warehousing facilities by simply requiring more frequent deliveries. This is especially true since most industries, be it commercial, retail, or government, already require daily or weekly deliveries to keep the supplies or merchandise flowing. Hospitals have adopted this scheme; so did the gas stations, with the average ones requiring fuel deliveries every two to three days. The same applies to grocery and department stores.
The trucking industry is continuously growing. According to the Bureau of Statistics, the trucking industry is strong and expanding, expecting a 22% growth in jobs between years 2000 -2010. The government estimates that the freight volume will increase by 50% in the next 20 years.
Such growth in the industry is spawned by pioneers such as Andy Ahern, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Ahern & Associates, LTD. Along with his firm, Andy Ahern is recognized as one of the most progressive consulting companies in the industry. They’re able to develop new software to increase carriers’ efficiency and productivity; apart from this, Andy Ahern also Ahern shares his knowledge by making speaking appearances around the country including on CNN Television and KTAR Radio. In 2010, he also sponsored a trucking and logistics merger and acquisition seminar with the Benesch Law Firm which drew attendees from all corners of the country.
Since the trucking industry keeps on growing, the need for truck drivers will continue to grow as well. To think that our industry relies on most products to be shipped through trucks, it’s clear that as the economy grows the trucking industry will grow as well.