Today, you can’t miss a truck every time you are driving on the road.
There was a period where a truck on the road was such a rare sight.
But that has changed due to the increased need for trucks in the transport industry.
Trucking Treads
Back in the 1900s, truck tires were made of solid rubber making trips on rough roads to be very slow. Trucks took a month to drive in the U.S.!
However, in 1920, new tires were introduced that were filled with air that made the truck movement to be faster. Trucks used in the U.S. had a great impact in 1917 when the U.S. joined World War 1. U.S. military required trucks for transportation purposes.
The trucks’ manufacturers focused on producing reliable trucks for combat. During this period, there was an increased freight in the U.S., hence the reason for increased trucks. Most railroads at that moment had become over congested, making people look for trucks alternative.
During this period, Roy Chapin who was working with the committee of the military in the U.S. started to experiment with long-distance shipment using trucks. By 1920, there were more than a million trucks on U.S. roads. After 1920, there were several advancements on trucks like the use of diesel engines, and rural roads were improved.
The diesel engine made the trucks to be more efficient with an average of 25-40% than the gasoline engines. The steering and truck brakes were powered making the trucks to be more effective on roads.
In the year 1933, the American Trucking Association was formed for representing and serving trucking industry interests. The Government of the U.S. introduced various regulations like in 1935 there was an introduction of the Motor Carrier Act, and 1938 hours of service regulation was enacted.
Trucking effects on the U.S economy
The trucking industry has grown significantly in the U.S. economy. The industry currently collects $796 billion every year in revenue. The revenue has helped the U.S. economy to grow.
There are over 5.6 registered trucks in the U.S. Nevertheless, there is still some shortage of trucks in the U.S., but the industry is still growing progressively.
There is quite a large group of people who are employed by the trucking industry.
The trucking industry has grown significantly over the years. The industry has contributed to the growth of the U.S. economy as evident with the revenue collection.
List of sources
https://www.trucking.org/
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/
https://planetfreight.com/3-facts-about-hos-regulations/
