We’ve all seen them. Whether it be on a road trip, vacation, or just a simple drive to town. They’re everywhere, and you probably motioned one to blow their horn for you as a kid… or an adult. I’m not judging!

Truck drivers are one of the most under appreciated jobs in America. They’re perceived as dirty, gross, and overall just bottom-of-the-barrel of jobs. I’m not saying your uncle Cleetus doesn’t need to shower, but there’s something you should know about other truckers.

Just like everyone else, they have a job to do. That job is to transport things from one place to another.

It may sound basic, but think about this:

Truck drivers haul food, gas, and raw materials as well as finished goods. Anything you can think of, it’s hauled by a trucker. What they carry is necessary for humans AND animals to live and function daily.

71.3% of all freight transported over land is carried by trucks. Even though part of the rest is carried by planes, in most cases, the cargo has to be carried by trucks first in order to reach the planes.

Not only that, but in 2019, the entire trucking industry in America was calculated to be worth 791.7 billion dollars! At that time there were over 947,000 truckers just in the United States.

The bottom line is, the country cannot do without the trucking industry: NOTHING would ever get where it needed to go: garbage truck drivers, UPS, Gas trucks, and even just regular freight haulers. They all count. They play a part in helping the economy function.

A lot of them that travel long distances have to give up spending time with their families for up to weeks at a time. They have to miss birthdays, anniversaries, and all kinds of important moments. What they do matters.

So, if you know a truck driver, or if you don’t, next time you see one, remember what they do for this country. Let them know they’re appreciated.

(Ps: Shout out to my two favorite truckers, Tim Farley & Ashley Wright. I love y’all!)