Top 5 Interesting Facts about Semi-trucks

Jack knifing is usually the result of a breaking accident, and what happens is the trailer usually swings out at a 90-degree angle and it then comes to a rest. It can hit the driver as well as other drivers along the way.


There are many possible factors that can cause a semi-truck to jack knife. Things like road conditions, speed, weight of the load the truck might be carrying, and turning on a curved pass, can cause the truck to jack knife. It’s important to remember that semi-trucks also take a long time to break.

A brand new cab for a semi-truck starts anywhere from $130,000 to $180,000. And that’s just for the cab. Buyers also need to purchase a trailer, which typically costs anywhere from $30,000 to $80,000. Not a small price tag at all.

If you think driving a standard 5-gear car is challenging, try driving a semi-truck! Most of them have 10 forward gears and 2 reverse gears. Though these are the standard set of gears for most trucks, there are semi-trucks that have 9, 10, 13, 15, and 18 gears as well! In order for a truck driver to shift gears, they have to use the double-clutch technique. Driving a semi-truck is not a simple job!

Here are some other big numbers with which semi-trucks are associated:

2 Billion – is the approximate number of truck drivers in the United States.
140 Billion Miles – is the total annual driving length of all semi-trucks in the United States.
13 Billion Tons – this is the total weight of goods delivered throughout the U.S., which averages about 60,000 pounds per American.
$255.5 Billion – is the approximate value of the 13 billion tons delivered by semi-trucks.


Truck drivers are not the only jobs that need to be filled. [Link removed - login to see] the other career possibilities available in this booming industry.

Semi-trucks can easily be linked to big business and we often forget about how they are such an essential part of our lives.