According to data compiled from the U.S. Census Bureau driving a truck is the most common job in 29 of the 50 United States of America. An interactive map and timeline created by National Public Radio’s Planet Money blog shows the growth in truck driving popularity starting in 1978 when it topped the jobs list in just nine states.
Why the huge shift? Planet Money cites three reasons:
- driving a truck has been immune to globalization and automation
- regional job specialties have declines pushing a universal job like driving a truck higher on individual state lists
- and finally the Census Bureau defines the job quite broadly to include drivers of all kinds of trucks including delivery drivers.
