In 1929, the stock market crashed, ushering in the greatest economic turmoil ever seen in American history. At the peak of the Great Depression, 24% of Americans were unemployed. Suicide rates had skyrocketed, half of America’s banks had failed, and the Americans, struggling under such circumstances, were targeting immigrants and starting riots.
Then, in 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president. Within his first 100 days, he started one of the most ambitious projects ever commissioned by the federal government. It would turn out to be the largest, most expensive, and most productive infrastructure project ever implemented.
By the end of it, Americans, through hard work, determination, and experimentation, had built 650,000 miles of road, 78,000 bridges, 125,000 civilian and military buildings, and constructed over improved 800 airports. It was the largest infrastructure project seen before or since and it created a network of pathways by which Americans could travel, while employing nearly 3.8 million Americans at its peak.
Today, our infrastructure system is falling apart. There are roadways that need working on, buildings that need more support, bridges that need to be repaired or constructed, and airports that need to be maintained. Politicians, over the past 60 years, have allocated money in other directions, removing the opportunity for the federal government to assist in the maintaining of infrastructure.
And consider this: America has nearly tripled in population since the 1930s.
While many Americans may look at this situation and say, “I don’t care. It has nothing to do with me,” other Americans are traveling across those roads and bridges and highways and using airports every day. They are employees within the transportation industry, which moves freight all across America and in the case of airports or shipping yards, all across the world.
In 2013, trucking transported nearly 15 million tons in cargo. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that by 2040, that number is expected to increase to 18.79 billion tons. And according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the value of freight moved is expected to increase from $882 per ton in 2007 to $1,377 per ton in 2040.
The make-up of the transportation industry is varied. It is divided between trucks, rail car, locomotives, and vessels, which move freight all across America. Together, they total 12 million transport vehicles.
The job itself is not easy for truck drivers. They work long hours, sometimes 12 or 14 hours per shift, driving across the country, dealing with traffic, unfamiliar cities, odd city regulations and more, all while staying away from home sometimes weeks at a time.
LTL, which refers to less than load shipments, are shipments of relatively small and less heavy items. While the definition of LTL shipments varies, a general definition is a truck that isn’t all the way full, becoming a “less than a truckload” shipment.
LTL shipments sometimes mean delivery to residential or commercial locations, where packets might make up less than full parcels to deliver. LTL delivery drivers often get to build up a rapport with those they are dropping products off to.
Because of the stratification of the trucking industry and the rise of independent truckers, many truckers are turning to load boards as a means to operate both independently and successfully. Load boards are an online marketplace by which independent truckers can find merchandise to move in their area.
A load board allows a trucker with a specific kind of truck to be matched with the kind of cargo that will fit the truck. The trucker then follows the route in delivering the merchandise. This type of work is helpful as it allows for a more flexible schedule. The trucker can work when he or she wants to work, without being tied to a specific schedule, and can work closer to home, which could do well for his or her partner and family.
Many companies that show load boards are now implementing the technology of load board integration. Load board integration is a system that puts together all the load boards in a particular area, giving the trucker an opportunity to search for the most suitable jobs without going to multiple sites.
Load board integration is featured on many sites. Load board integration is the latest technology to revolutionize an industry.
