By Trucking Moves America Forward
In September, Trucking Moves America Forward commissioned a survey to measure the impact of awareness and image campaigns. The TMAF campaign was launched in March 2014 at the Mid-America Trucking Show to improve the image of the trucking industry and educate the public on the impact of the industry and its relevance to the American way of life.
When the survey was last conducted pre-pandemic in 2019, 67% of respondents had a favorable impression of the trucking industry.
Since then, the public’s perception of trucking has only improved. In fact, the image of trucking is stronger than ever.
The public perception of the trucking is at an all-time high with the poll finding that the majority of Americans – 87% of voters – have a favorable impression of trucking, which is the highest public opinion has been since TMAF began tracking industry views almost a decade ago. More and more Americans continue to realize the essential role that trucking plays in the nation’s economy and in all of our lives, thanks to industry-wide education efforts.
Not only do people feel positively about trucking, 97% understand that the industry plays a “very important” role in the country’s economy, and 96% believe truck drivers are essential to keeping the country’s economy moving.
In their own words, respondents said the industry is “essential,” “dependable” and the “backbone of America.” They ranked trucking the top three group of workers, alongside grocery store and healthcare workers, who keep the country moving through times of crisis.
Nearly three-fourths (72%) rate trucking’s safety record as “excellent” or “good” and the drivers as professionals (85%) who make a fair living (78%) and have higher standards for safety than other drivers (78%).
Those respondents who know someone who works in the industry were more likely to have a favorable view of the industry. According to the poll, more than 40% said they knew someone working in trucking and had a more favorable impression (87%). The intentional messages of campaigns like TMAF also had a measurable effect on perceptions. Those that had encountered TMAF messages had a much more favorable image of trucking (91%).
This is why we continue our mission to tell the positive story of trucking. When the public meets truckers, they like truckers. When they know what trucking hauls and how the economy moves on the wheels of our trucks, they are grateful.
View the full results and how they compare with previous surveys .
Trucking Moves America Forward aims to establish a long-term industry-wide movement to create a positive image for the industry, to ensure that policymakers and the public understand the importance of the trucking industry to the nation’s economy, and to build the political and grassroots support necessary to strengthen and grow the industry in the future. To learn more, visit http://www.truckingmovesamerica.com/.
