National Info

The commercial transportation industry in the United States is currently experiencing a national shortage of truck drivers. Over the next ten years, rapid economic growth in America will create more than 320,000 new truck driving jobs. In addition, trucking companies are already having difficulty finding replacements for older drivers who are beginning to retire. The shortage is growing so fast, that in 2007, truck drivers were named one of America's ten most-wanted workers by CareerBuilder.com.

Why are Truck Drivers so Important?

Many companies in the United States depend heavily on truck drivers to transport their goods and merchandise. In fact, virtually all goods manufactured in the United States are transported by trucks at one point or another before the goods reach any final destinations. With the economy continually growing, more and more companies, big and small, are in critical need of trucking services.

The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways

More commonly known as the national Interstate Highway System, this major network of freeways in the United States services most major cities and has a total length of 46,837 miles.

The freeways are very important in American daily life because not only do millions of U.S. residents frequently use them to travel from one destination to another, but they are often used by truck drivers to distribute nearly all goods in the U.S.

Most of these primary freeways are "two-digit" interstates, meaning they have two digits as the route number (such as I-15 or I-80). There are only three with one-digit: I-4, I-5, and I-8. Freeways that run north and south are assigned odd numbers while east to west freeways are assigned even numbers.

Major Interstate Freeways

These are some of the country's longest major interstate freeways, all measuring more than 1,300 miles.

Interstate 5 (I-5) spans the length of the west coast, starting in Southern California and ending in northern Washington near Canada. Total length is 1,381.29 miles.

Interstate 10 (I-10) runs west to east along the southern half of the U.S., from Santa Monica, California to Jacksonville, Florida. Total length is 2,460.34 miles.

Interstate 40 (I-40) also west to east, starting in Barstow, California and ending near Wilmington, North Carolina. Total length is 2,555.10 miles.

Interstate 80 (I-80) is a major east to west freeway that connects New York City to California. Total length is 2,899.54 miles.

Interstate 90 (I-90) services the northern half of the U.S. and runs from Seattle, Washington all the way to Boston, Massachusetts. Total length is 3,020.54 miles.

Interestate 95 (I-95) runs along the entire east coast, all the way from the Canadian border down to Miami, Florida. Total length is 1,919.74 miles.