Wisconsin Truckers Bring Home Big Cheese

Wisconsin is perhaps best known for its dairy farming. More specifically, it’s the dairy capital of the U.S.13 Although delicacies like cheese, milk, and ice cream hail from the state, there’s surprisingly much more to do than partaking in its dairy deliciousness.

Truck drivers can enjoy exciting cultural activities, fishing, boating, and amazing hiking and biking trails in their downtime.13 And when it’s time to get back to work, truckers can focus on shipping a variety of exports. Contrary to a great guess, most of the freight exported from the state doesn’t have anything to do with dairy.

Advocacy

The Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association (WMCA) is a non-profit trade association with 1,200 members. The association has several divisions dedicated to advocacy between the trucking industry and the state. A few WMCA divisions include:

• Wisconsin Milk Haulers Association (WMHA)
• Wisconsin Towing Association (WTA)
• Wisconsin Movers Association (WMA)
• Wisconsin Motor Coach Association (WMC)
• Independent Contractors Division
• Safety Management Council

WMCA hosts several recurring events, including:

• President’s Safe Driver Club Luncheon
• WCSS Holiday Networking Party
• Seminars
• Thank A Trucker

Safety

The Wisconsin Safety Management Council’s purpose is “to provide a forum for the exchange of safety information, to advance safety education and to sponsor safety programs and activities of interest to the industry.”

Freight Economics

The average big rig carries 40 tons of freight at one time.8 In 2019, truckers hauled 11.84 billion tons of freight, generating roughly $791 billion in revenue.

Wisconsin’s major industries are advanced manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, information technology, and life sciences.

To contribute to the state’s moving economy, truck drivers mostly haul:

• Medical supplies
• Aircraft parts
• Silica
• Outboard engines for machine vessels, or
• Battery waste scraps

Access

Wisconsin is bordered by Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, and by Lake Michigan to the east.

There are about 239,318 total lane miles in the state.5 Roughly 1,100 miles of these roadways are included in Wisconsin’s interstate system as follows:

Main highways include:

• I-39
• I-41
• I-43
• I-90, and
• I-94

Work and Wages

Seventy-five percent of American communities are 100 percent dependent on trucks to deliver goods and services to their cities.

In Wisconsin, there are about 5,546 local truck driver jobs, and the state’s average yearly salary for drivers is around $51,090.

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