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Motley Crue, trucking

How a member of Motley Crue became a truck driver

The trucking industry is no stranger to celebrities. The list of famous people who were once behind the wheel of a big rig is extensive – you might know names like Elvis Presley, Liam Neeson, or Richard Pryor, among others.

Usually, these celebrities were truck drivers first and pursue their passions in the meantime. Sometimes, that series of events gets flipped on its head.

This was the case for John Corabi, the frontman for Motley Crue from 1992-1997. The former rockstar took up trucking after parting ways with the band in 1997.

Motley Crue frontman John Corabi described his year in trucking as “a f***ing blast”

After parting ways with Motley Crue in 1997, John Corabi didn’t have as much money as some might think. Throughout the entirety of his time in the band, he was financially taking care of two family members – one with diabetes and another with cancer. That said, his Motley Crue money was dwindling, wondering “how am I going to pay my bills?”

Corabi decided to turn to the trucking industry. The singer described his love for trains and trucks since he was a child. Plus, he figured the three-week turnaround for a CDL was a strong selling point.

“I’ve been literally touring my whole life and there was things that I’d never seen before until I started driving a truck,” he said in an interview with Logical Logistics, “pardon my French, but I had a f***ing blast.”

He enjoyed the same things that virtually every trucker enjoys about their job. He mentioned the health insurance for his family as well as the opportunity to clear his head while he was out on the road. He also mentioned that he made a decent living, especially considering the ease of access to the industry. It was the perfect transition for this part of his life.

trucking facts, international

5 mind-blowing facts about the trucking industry

The trucking industry has given jobs to over 3.5 million truckers. According to the ATA, the industry itself employs a total of eight million employees. That includes truckers, dispatchers, and office workers for the industry. For those who struggle with math, that’s over 2% of jobs across the United States.

You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again – trucking moves America.

As a result of the sheer volume of truckers in the United States, you will also notice a plethora of mind-blowing statistics.

Here are 5 crazy trucking facts

1. Around $50 billion is paid in trucking-related taxes each year

One of the aspects of trucking that isn’t often spoken about is also one of the least desirable topics – taxes. I won’t bore you with the details but if you weren’t already aware, truckers pay a lot of taxes just to own a truck. Apparently, this number sits around $50 billion per year. That’s over $3,000 per truck.

2. Over 300 billion yearly miles are registered by truck drivers

There are a handful of numbers thrown around when it comes to distance traveled by truck drivers in a year. The most reliable is 300 billion, according to trucking.org. That number is from 2020, too, which means that it could be even higher in recent years.

3. Over-the-road truckers spend over 240 nights per year away from their families

Trucking is a lifestyle. Plenty of jobs, such as an office job, will tell you that working at their company is a “lifestyle.” Usually, that’s an exaggeration. In the trucking world, it may actually be an under-exaggeration. Truck drivers, live and breathe trucking, as many of them spend weeks away from their families at a time. According to JIT Truck Parts, this adds up to around 240 nights per year.

4. Semi-trucks need three football fields of space to stop

As somebody who works in the industry, this is something that I hear all of the time. At times, it seems repetitive, but the more I drive, the more I notice four-wheelers cutting off big rigs in tight traffic situations. If you do this and get honked at by a trucker, you are the problem.

5. The transportation industry uses over 46 billion gallons of diesel fuel per year

Ever wonder why truckers never complain about regular gasoline for their cars? Currently, they’re paying a dollar more per gallon in a vehicle that has significantly worse fuel mileage.

Optimus Prime, Kenworth W100

Trucking Trivia: Transformers’ Optimus Prime was a Kenworth K100

The trucking industry has been well-represented in media. That said, one of the most popular representations of a semi-truck is often forgotten about. No – I’m not talking about the trucks from Maximum Overdrive or Smokey and the Bandit.

I’m talking about Optimus Prime from Transformers.

Despite the fact that a semi-truck is the cornerstone of the entire franchise, the trucks often get forgotten about when you’re looking at the overall landscape of the trucking industry in films and television. Still, Optimus Prime was a key part of one of the most successful movie franchises in American history.

Trucking Trivia: Did you know that Optimus Prime was a Kenworth K100?

Okay… if we’re getting really technical, Optimus Prime was represented by a few different trucks. We’ve seen more recent renditions of Optimus Prime as a custom Western Star truck and as a Peterbilt. But as many things go, nothing ever matches the original.

In this case, the original was based on a cabover Kenworth K100. This would eventually be changed into a Peterbilt 379. In fact, everything about the design of Optimus Prime “transformed,” so to speak.

The truck now features a blue and red flame design and is no longer a cabover. The longer nose on the truck makes it look more menacing at times.

Dunk, Semi-Truck

This guy dunked a basketball over a semi-truck

Anyone remember the guy who dunked a basketball over a semi-truck? We do.

If you don’t remember, it’s probably because it was done over a decade ago and the only remaining evidence of this can be found on a YouTube video titled “WTH!! 5’7 Mexican DUNKS OVER A SEMI-TRUCK!!! NO TRAMPOLINE!!”

The video can be seen below, with the dunk in question taking place at the 1:55 mark. It’s certainly… something.

As you can see in the video, he doesn’t really clear the semi-truck. We can cut him some slack here – I mean, it is physically impossible. Still, it’s a bit disappointing.

If you can’t see the video for some reason, it’s pretty simple. The man, who is only labeled as a “5’7 MEXICAN” can be seen performing some impressive dunks throughout the video, including instances where he jumps over people and cars. The man is clearly extremely athletic.

But the real show begins and ends toward the end of the video, when the dunker brings in a semi-truck to jump over. The disappointing part is that he just jumps on top of the hood of the semi truck and dunks the basketball. His “bounce” is still impressive, but the dunk was extremely anti-climactic.

If you want to watch somebody dunk a basketball over a semi-truck and completely clear it, you’re on the wrong planet. Unfortunately, that is physically impossible. It won’t happen.

trucking

5 trucking industry facts you probably didn’t know

The trucking industry is arguably the most important sector in the United States. Without it, supplies would be non-existent and food would be scarce in certain areas. That’s why it’s so important to support trucking, especially for the future.

But with an industry as large as trucking, there are certain surprises that come along.

Some of these surprises come on the road, while some are on paper. Here are 5 trucking industry facts that you probably didn’t know.

Over 97 percent of trucking fleets operate 20 or fewer trucks

While there is an endless number of trucking fleets in the United States, most of them are very small. For perspective, over 97% of these fleets have 20 or fewer trucks. Over 91% have six or fewer.

This means that most fleets are microscopic and the mega-fleets are not as common as you might think.

There are 7 million employees in the trucking industry

This number can be slightly misleading, as only around two million of these employees are truck drivers. That said, a whopping five million work in the trucking industry in some capacity.

In total, over 2% of the United States population works in the trucking industry. That number doesn’t sound overly impressive, but this means that one in every 50 people works for one of these companies.

Trucking companies cap your speed to save fuel – and it helps a lot

If you ever wondered why so many trucking companies cap their trucks’ top speed, it’s much more simple than you might think. They want to save gas.

In fact, by capping the speed of these trucks at 65 MPH instead of 75 MPH, companies save 27% on fuel usage. While this may seem insignificant, it can save up to $200 per tank of gas.

Commercial trucks use over 20,000 gallons of fuel per year on average

Ever wondered how much gas you go through in a year as a truck driver? That number likely sits above 20,000 gallons, which can equate to over $100,000 in gasoline.

In comparison, a normal four-wheeler will only go through an average of 500 gallons of gas. Cheaper gas, too.

Trucking is one of the highest-earning blue-collar professions in the US

The number for average salary of a truck driver varies greatly. If you ask a trucker, they’ll probably claim to be making six figures. If you ask someone who isn’t in the industry, they’ll give you a drastically low number. Generally speaking though, that number sits around $60,000 per year, which is on the higher end up blue-collar professions.

Truck Drivers

Around one-third of trucker drivers come from these 3 states

The trucking industry is, for lack of a better term, huge. It is estimated that there are 3.6 million truck drivers in the United States, according to the Census Bureau, which would make up over 1% of the country’s population.

That means that each state, on average, has around 72,000 truckers on average. But it’s not all even.

In fact, a very large percentage of truckers in the United States are spread among just three states, with major trucking hubs being in specific locations. Unfortunately, those locations aren’t overwhelmingly surprising.

Around one-third of truck drivers reside in either Texas, California, or Florida

The exact order goes like this:

  1. Texas
  2. California
  3. Florida

Coming in at number four is Pennsylvania, which is the fifth-most populated US state.

That said, these three states are also atop the list of most populated states in the US, so it’s no surprise that they lead the nation in truck drivers. But which state would you see the most truck drivers? In other words, which state has the highest density of truck drivers?

Three entirely different states have a higher density of truck drivers

As unsurprising as the last list was, this one might turn some heads. The highest density of truckers by state goes like this, according to Visual Capitalist:

  1. Arkansas
  2. Nebraska
  3. Wyoming
  4. Iowa
  5. North Dakota

So in simpler terms, the Midwest has a very high density of truckers in its lowest-populated states.

The state with the lowest density of truck drivers is New York, which is still among US states with the most truck drivers — this is likely because it is the country’s fourth-most-populated state. NY is closely followed in lowest density by Rhode Island, Connecticut, and, surprisingly, Massachusetts.

Whiteline Express’s primary states are relatively average, with Michigan, Ohio, and Texas all coming between a density of 1.1% to 1.3%.

Which state surprised you the most?

Trucking, Texas

5 mind-boggling numbers about the trucking industry in the US

The trucking industry is one of the largest industries in the United States. To take it even a step further, logistics is something that will always be necessary — even if technological changes take place, items need to get from point A to point B.

As a result, some of the numbers that you see in reference to the trucking industry are truly appalling. Today, I’m going to give you five interesting numbers about the trucking industry.

5 mind-boggling numbers in the trucking industry

1. The trucking industry brought in $875.5 billion in total revenue in 2021

Yes, you’re reading that correctly. The highest-earning logistics company in the world is UPS, which has an annual revenue of roughly $24 billion. Total revenue in the industry continues to grow.

2. The most common state for truckers is Texas, where there are around 172,000 drivers

There are almost exactly one million truck drivers in the US as of the most recent census. The most common state is Texas, where there are just over 172,000 drivers in an industry that is looking to grow. 15 of every 1,000 jobs in the Lone Star State is a trucking job. Other common states for truck drivers include California, Florida, and surprisingly, Pennsylvania.

3. US truckers moved over 10 billion tons of freight in 2021

So if there are one million truckers in the United States that work year-round, there must be a lot of freight. . . right? If you’re thinking that, you’d be right — in fact, over 10 billion tons of freight is shipped each year in this country, which is especially impressive considering the DOT’s gross weight limit is 80,000 pounds.

4. The trucking industry moved 71.6% of all goods in the US last year

According to CFS, that 10 billion-pound total of freight has a dollar value attached to it. That value is $10.4 trillion dollars. . . that’s right. Trillion. This accounts for 71.6% of all goods in the country.

5. 97.4% of trucking companies have fewer than 20 trucks

Even though the trucking industry is huge, the companies with it in aren’t necessarily giant corporations. In fact, an extremely high percentage of logistics companies are very small, with 97.4% of these companies having fewer than 20 trucks. Take an even closer look and you’ll see that around 91% have fewer than seven trucks.

Red Giant semi-truck

The story behind the world’s longest sleeper cab semi-truck

When it comes to semi-trucks, length isn’t necessarily something that most drivers are eager to increase. A longer truck will be harder to maneuver, and from a logistical standpoint, it will increase the weight of the vehicle.

That said, not all trucks serve the same purpose.

Sometimes, trucks have a very unique purpose — just look at Bryan Dax, a Wisconsin owner-operator who has taken a unique path in the trucking world. He began with a traditional trucking occupation and has changed it into something that better suits his interests.

Bryan Dax’s “Red Giant” doesn’t actually haul any cargo

According to 10-4 Magazine, Bryan Dax doesn’t actually haul anything. In fact, what was once a long-haul sleeper cab has quickly turned into nothing but an advertising machine. That’s what the two 11′ by 6′ LED TV screens are for on the vehicle.

In fact, Dax doesn’t cease to haul cargo because he doesn’t want to — he cannot physically carry more than a few thousand pounds. Without any cargo, the vehicle and trailer weigh a whopping 72,000 pounds, meaning a small addition could put it over the 80,000 maximum gross weight limit.

But Dax has an extremely consistent stream of money coming in as a result of this.

The coolest part? The idea was actually given to him by former boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. You see, Dax was a friend of Roy Jones Sr. and eventually developed a relationship with his boxing son. Jones Jr. would eventually suggest the idea of putting advertising on the side of his truck over a game of pool.

Dax ran with it.

How long is the “Red Giant” anyway?

Before I tell you how long the “Red Giant” is, I’ll give you a frame of reference. The average semi-truck is around 72 feet long — that is not a number that varies too greatly. Many trucks will be under that number, but few exceed it greatly.

The “Red Giant” is over 93 feet long.

Technically speaking, there was a truck that was longer than this — much longer than this. That truck measured nearly a mile long with 112 trailers being carried behind it. The caveat here is that this truck was more of a publicity stunt than anything else. There was nothing functional about it.

The longest single-trailer, fully-functional semi-truck is Bryan Dax’s Red Giant.

Smokey and the Bandit, Snowman's Truck

‘The Snowman’ from Smokey and the Bandit drove a 1974 Kenworth W900A

The trucking industry is well-represented throughout popular culture. Whether trucking is being used to create a villainous antagonist or being used as the good guy in a film, there is no lack of semi-trucks in the industry.

And more than a handful of these trucks have become infamous over the years.

One that we’ve discussed in the past is the Green Goblin from Maximum Overdrive, a 1986 film about a self-aware, evil semi-truck. Optimus Prime from the Transformers series is another big one.

Another one, often forgotten about, is The Snowman’s truck from Smokey and the Bandit, an extremely popular movie from nearly a half-century ago. But what truck model was driven in this movie and why?

“The Snowman” drove a 1974 Kenworth W900A

If you are unable to read the title and the headline above, “The Snowman” from Smokey and the Bandit drove a 1974 Kenworth 900A.

Why?

There’s no concrete answer here but hotcars.com theorizes that the truck’s main appeal for the film was it’s look. After all, if you’re shooting a movie with a prominent truck in it, you’re going to want that truck to look as truck-y as possible. Here’s how Hotcar’s Edwin Karicho described it.

“With a big hood and a ton of power beneath said hood, the truck is heaved by a twin-turbo Cummins, with the occasional truck carrying a 3408 Cat instead. The BBC (bumper to back-of-cab) for the W900 model ranges from 121 inches to 130 inches, which makes it one of the largest cabs you can find.”

This truck did have its flaws, but it was perfect for the film.

But if you already knew all of this, here’s something you may not know. Smokey and the Bandit actually used three different trucks to shoot this movie. Two were nearly identical 1974 W900As, while the third was a 1973 model with a gold Kenworth logo, according to Hotcars.

Unfortunately, nobody knows where these trucks are today.

Truck jump, Gregg Godfrey

This is the story of the longest jump ever by a semi-truck

Semi-trucks were created to serve a single purpose — haul as much cargo as physically possible. Despite the fact that more could probably be fit into a semi-truck at times, the legal limit for gross vehicle weight is 80,000 pounds.

Long story short… these trucks were not made for stunts. Not even close.

But that didn’t stop Gregg Godfrey, a member of Nitro Circus, from attempting to pull off a huge stunt. That stunt was to jump a semi-truck as far as he could. Godfrey originally started with just a 50-foot jump before building his way up to a jaw-dropping 166 feet.

Gregg Godfrey’s family has a history of trucking

Godfrey’s decision to jump a semi-truck may seem random. But in fact, it wasn’t — it was far from random. What isn’t often mentioned is that Godfrey’s father was a long-haul trucker when he was born in Draper, Utah.

This is likely what inspired him to jump a semi-truck 166 feet. Godfrey himself admitted that he didn’t even intend on jumping as far as he did —he said he “meant to only go 140 feet.” Guess he got carried away and smashed the old record.

A video of the jump can be seen here:

One of the first replies to the video simply states “WTF who thinks this sh*t up.”

Godfrey did something that few will dare to attempt in the future. Jumping a semi-truck is seriously dangerous. This record has been held since 2015 and it seems unlikely that anybody will attempt it again anytime soon.