The trucking industry in New York provides more than 270,000 jobs, or 1 out of 27 in the state, paying wages in excess of $16 billion annually.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer, held 58,280 jobs.
As of 2021, there were 107,360 trucking companies located in New York, most of them small, locally owned businesses. These companies are served by a wide range of supporting businesses both large and small.
Trucks transported 96.2 percent of total manufactured tonnage in the state in 2017 or 472,400 tons per day.
More than 89 percent of New York communities depend exclusively on trucks to move their goods.
Trucking pays its way
In 2020, the trucking industry in New York paid approximately $1.2 billion in federal and state roadway taxes, representing 33 percent of all taxes owed by New York motorists.
The trucking industry represents 9 percent of vehicle miles traveled in the New York State.
As of January 2022, a typical five-axle tractor-semitrailer combination paid $11,697 in state highway user fees and taxes in addition to $8,906 in federal user fees and taxes, in addition to the typical taxes paid by businesses in New York.
In 2020, New York had 114,205 miles of public roads over which all motorists traveled 102.5 billion miles. Trucking’s use of the public roads was 9.2 billion miles.
Trucking and the environment
In 2020, combination trucks consumed 113 billion fewer gallons of fuel than passenger vehicles in the U.S. and accounted for just 18 percent of the total highway transportation fuel consumed.
49% of U.S. commercial trucks are now powered by the newest-generation, near-zero emissions diesel technology.
Medium- and heavy-duty trucks contribute just 24.5% of all transportation-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. and represent only 7% of total U.S. GHG emissions.
Source: American Transportation Research Institute