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Trucking industry statistics 2026: drivers, trucks, miles, costs and safety

Steve Woods · Lead Dispatcher, TruckSprint

Steve Woods leads the TruckSprint dispatch desk and reviews every guide we publish. How we research and update guides.

Updated October 2026

Quick answer

Key takeaways (updated October 2026): 2,062,040 heavy truck drivers in wage jobs (BLS, May 2025), 3.3 million registered tractor-trailers that drove 195.8 billion miles in 2023 (FHWA), about $2.34 a mile to operate a truck in 2025 (ATRI), diesel at $6.20 a gallon in early October 2026 (EIA), and 5,472 deaths in large-truck crashes in 2023 (NHTSA).

Source: FHWA, Highway Statistics 2023, Table VM-1 (page modified March 13, 2025) · checked 2026-10

Trucking statistics get repeated so often that the sources fall off. I'm Steve, lead dispatcher at TruckSprint. This page sticks to public primary sources and gives the year for every number, so you can cite it with confidence. Where we couldn't find a public source for a popular figure, we say so instead of repeating it.

The workforce

  1. 2,062,040 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in wage and salary jobs (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
  2. $59,710 annual mean wage for those drivers; $58,640 median.
  3. Owner-operators aren't counted in those wage figures; BLS OEWS covers wage and salary workers only.
  4. 1,473,100 jobs in the truck transportation industry in September 2026 (BLS CES, preliminary). This counts everyone employed by trucking companies, not only drivers, and not drivers at companies in other industries.
  5. $33.74 average hourly earnings for all employees in truck transportation, August 2026 (BLS CES, preliminary).

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 53-3032 · checked 2026-10

Source: BLS Current Employment Statistics, Truck transportation (NAICS 484), series CES4348400001 and CES4348400003 (preliminary) · checked 2026-10

State-by-state wages are in truck driver pay by state.

Trucks and miles

  1. 3,324,112 registered combination trucks (tractor-trailers) in 2023.
  2. 11,567,428 registered single-unit trucks (straight trucks with 2 axles and 6 tires or more, or over 10,000 lb GVWR).
  3. 195.8 billion miles driven by combination trucks in 2023, and 134.1 billion by single-unit trucks.
  4. 58,890 miles per combination truck on average in 2023, versus 11,593 per single-unit truck.
  5. Large trucks drove about 10% of all vehicle miles in 2023.

Source: FHWA, Highway Statistics 2023, Table VM-1 (page modified March 13, 2025) · checked 2026-10

Bar chart: combination trucks were 22% of registered large trucks but drove 59% of large-truck miles in 2023
Embed this chart

Fuel

  1. 6.7 mpg: average fuel economy of combination trucks in 2023; single-unit trucks averaged 7.8 mpg (FHWA).
  2. 29.3 billion gallons of fuel used by combination trucks in 2023, and 17.2 billion by single-unit trucks (FHWA).
  3. $6.199 per gallon: U.S. average retail on-highway diesel, week of October 5, 2026, up $2.488 from a year earlier (EIA).

Source: U.S. EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update (weekly retail on-highway diesel, U.S. average) · checked 2026-10

Operating costs

  1. $2.336 per mile: average marginal cost to operate a truck in 2025 (ATRI).
  2. $1.854 per mile excluding fuel.
  3. $0.404 per mile for truck and trailer payments, $0.215 for repair and maintenance, $0.106 for insurance and $0.050 for tires.

Source: ATRI, An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking (2025 data), as reported by FreightWaves 2026-07-15 · checked 2026-10

ATRI's data comes mostly from established fleets; a small carrier's costs can differ a lot. More in cost of trucking statistics, and work out your own in the cost per mile calculator.

Safety

  1. 5,472 people killed in traffic crashes involving large trucks in 2023, down 8% from 5,969 in 2022.
  2. 70% of those killed were occupants of other vehicles, 18% were large-truck occupants and 12% were pedestrians, cyclists or other nonoccupants.
  3. An estimated 153,452 people were injured in large-truck crashes in 2023.
  4. Large trucks were 9% of vehicles involved in fatal crashes, 5% of registered vehicles and 10% of vehicle miles in 2023.

Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts: Large Trucks, 2023 Data (DOT HS 813 717, April 2025) · checked 2026-10

Bar chart: of 5,472 people killed in large-truck crashes in 2023, 70% were in other vehicles, 18% in large trucks and 12% were nonoccupants
Embed this chart

NHTSA defines a large truck as a truck over 10,000 lb GVWR, commercial or not.

Market size

The "trucking is an $X billion industry" figures you'll see quoted come from industry association reports, not a free government series, so we don't repeat them here. Public measures that do show the size of the industry: 1.47 million truck transportation jobs, 2.06 million heavy truck drivers in wage jobs, nearly 15 million registered large trucks, and 329.9 billion large-truck miles a year.

What it means for a small carrier

  • Most freight miles are tractor-trailer miles. Combination trucks are about 22% of registered large trucks but drove about 59% of large-truck miles in 2023.
  • Fuel moves your margin. At 6.7 mpg, every dollar on diesel is about 15 cents a mile.
  • Costs keep rising, so rates that worked last year may not this year. Recheck your cost per mile every quarter.
  • Safety is the business. Clean inspections and a careful driver lower insurance and keep brokers booking you.

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Questions carriers ask

How many truck drivers are there in the US?

BLS counted 2,062,040 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in wage and salary jobs in May 2025, with an annual mean wage of $59,710. That count excludes self-employed owner-operators, so the total number of people driving heavy trucks is higher.

How many semi trucks are there in the US?

FHWA counted 3,324,112 registered combination trucks (tractor-trailers) and 11,567,428 single-unit trucks in 2023. Combination trucks averaged 58,890 miles each that year.

How big is the trucking market?

We didn't find a free official source for total trucking revenue; the widely quoted figures come from industry association reports. Public measures of size include 1,473,100 jobs in truck transportation (BLS, September 2026, preliminary) and 329.9 billion miles driven by large trucks in 2023 (FHWA).

How many people die in truck crashes each year?

NHTSA reports 5,472 people were killed in traffic crashes involving large trucks in 2023, down 8% from 2022. Seventy percent were occupants of other vehicles, 18% were truck occupants and 12% were pedestrians, cyclists or other nonoccupants.

What does it cost to run a truck per mile?

ATRI's operational cost research put the average at about $2.34 per mile in 2025 across mostly larger fleets, with insurance at 10.6 cents a mile. Your own cost per mile depends on your truck, miles and fuel price.

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