The trucking industry has bounced back from its decline during the recession and the number of truck drivers is at an all-time high.
More than 3.5 million people work as truck drivers, an occupation dominated by men who hold more than 90% of truck driving jobs, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The semis and 18-wheelers you see on your commute could be delivering goods from one neighborhood to another or all the way across the country.
Between 2012 and 2016, the number of trucking businesses grew 15.9% or by about 200,000 workers, which outpaces the eight percent total growth across all industries.
Among long-distance truckers, 88 percent are self-employed. About 75% of all businesses are white-owned, accounting for 66% of all trucking business revenue.
Although many truckers work a regular 40-hour workweek, almost half of truckers work longer hours.
At least one in 10 truckers are veterans, double the rate of workers in general.
Truckers are older on average than other workers with a median age of 46 compared to 41 for all workers.
Among younger truckers under age 35, more of them are women, Hispanic and more more likely to be high school graduate or have some college education compared to truckers age 55 and older.
The percentage of young truck drivers coming from rural areas is about half that of older truckers, with fewer than 20% of younger truckers living in rural areas.
Driving large tractor-trailers or delivery trucks is one of the largest occupations in the United States.
