Utah Trucking is All About Open Roads and Easy Access

Most of Utah’s 84,900 square miles landscape includes mountains, high plateaus, and deserts.10 Its fourteen Alpine ski resorts, five national parks, seven national monuments, and natural wonders are all reasons the state ranks highly for its outdoor living.[3][13]. Just seeing the sites gives truckers plenty of reasons to take a big-rig gig in the state. And if that’s not enough, Utah is also known for its sports teams, history, culture, and festivals.

But there’s much more to experience than the sites. In the trucking world, Utah’s central location in the western U.S. allows for easy access to all west coast ports, inland states, Canada, and Mexico.11 The wide-open and plentiful space and low population of merely three million residents are perfect for relaxing driving with limited traffic.

Advocacy

The Utah Trucking Association is “committed to advocating for sound legislation and regulations, enhancing safety through effective educational programs, improving efficiencies while promoting a positive image and providing a forum for networking and collaboration.”

The association offers services, products, education, and opportunities to its number one priority- its members.

A few membership benefits include:

• Safety and business seminars
• Publications
• Government relations
• Discounts
• Health and Retirement insurance plans
• Recognition awards, and
• Special events

Freight Economics

In 2019, truckers hauled 11.84 billion tons of freight, generating roughly $791 billion in revenue.

Utah’s primary products moved by truck drivers and industries offering truck driving jobs are:

• Unwrought gold
• Integrated circuits
• Aircraft parts
• Safety airbags
• Natural gas
• Coal
• Molybdenum ores
• X-ray tubes

Access

Utah is bordered by Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming.

There are about 102,031 total lane miles in the state, four major routes, and an auxiliary interstate. Major interstates include:

• I-15 from the Arizona state line
• I-70 from the Colorado state line
• 1-80 from Nevada state line, and
• I-84 from Idaho state line near Burley to Echo

Work and Wages

Utah has about 3,484 local truck driver jobs, and the state’s average yearly salary for drivers is around $46,794.

In May 2020, the BLS reported a median annual salary of $47,130 for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers.

Although there are several big and small companies to choose from, drivers in Utah can anticipate employment opportunities from companies like:

• J.B. Hunt Transport - Semi-Local Truck Driver
• Kenan Advantage Group - Local Truck Driver,
• Schneider - Class A CDL – Local Intermodal Truck Driver