Spooky season. Football season. Pumpkin spice season. Fall is known by different names to different people, but for one segment of the population, fall is harvest season. The agricultural industry in the United States sees the approach of fall as the end of the growing season where the results of their summer planting efforts are realized.
Trucking and Agriculture
The trucking and agricultural industries have long been linked together in their fortunes. Many think the military was the main driver in the creating the interstate highway system, but the Good Roads Movement between the end of the civil war and the early 20th century played a major role in establishing the highway system as well.
A report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the importance of the US highway system to farmers said, “For more than 100 years, the U.S. Government has recognized well-maintained roads are indispensable to support the transport and economic competitiveness of agricultural goods. A common refrain of the Good Roads Movement of the early 20th Century was that improved roads were needed “to get the farmer out of the mud.”
The “out of the mud” comment is an important one because it was driving through the muddy roads of the Midwest in 1920 that led Eisenhower to think about the creation of an interstate highway system. These days, agricultural products are the largest source of freight loads in the United States, moving billions of tons of goods worth trillions of dollars across America’s highway system.
Harvest Trucking Responsibilities
Many of the responsibilities of a truck driver working during harvest are similar to other trucking jobs, but some agricultural-specific responsibilities could include:
- Dropping empty flatbed trailers at designated agricultural loading areas
- Hooking up flatbed trailers loaded with tote bins containing machine picked crops
- Checking to assure load has been properly secured by the harvest crew with cargo straps
- Delivery of loaded flatbed trailers from the agricultural loading areas to local crop processing facilities
- Unstrapping the tote bins containing crops, navigate through a crop inspection and weighing process,
- Securing empty tote bins to the trailer using cargo straps
- Dairy farm drivers may be responsible for pumping milk into a specialized tanker trailer or truck at the dairy farm, then unloading the tanker at a processing or storage facility.
- Some dairy drivers may be responsible for grading the milk before loading and testing samples of the milk for quality control.
Small and Mid Sized Farm Opportunities
Despite the rise in corporate farming in the second half of the 20th century, the latest USDA Census of Agricultural Typology said, “The data show that small family farms, those farms with a GCFI of less than $350,000 per year, account for 88% of all U.S. farms, 46% of total land in farms, and 19% of the value of all agricultural products sold. Large-scale family farms (GCFI of $1 million or more) make up less than 3% of all U.S. farms but produce 43% of the value of all agricultural products. Mid-size farms (GCFI between $350,000 and $999,999) are 5% of U.S. farms and produce 20% of the value of all agricultural products.”
With these farms running so much of the agricultural business in the US, this is where the biggest opportunities for trucking jobs exist during harvest season.
The highest number of mid-size family farms is in the Midwestern and Plains states. If you’re looking to drive for a company run by a woman, by someone over the age of 65, or a person of color, then you’ll want to work for a small family farm. These farms also have the highest concentration of farmers with fewer than ten years experience and farmers with military experience. You’ll find the greatest opportunities driving for a small family farm in New England and in the Southern states.
Big Farm Opportunities
The size of a farm in the United States has grown by 54% since 1982 to an average of 444 acres with farms of over 2000 acres accounting for 2% of total farming in the US. The number of larger farms is small, but they also represent the bulk of farming production, presenting plenty of opportunities for interested CDL A drivers.
While the smaller and mid-size farms mostly harvest fruits and vegetables, larger farms almost entirely harvest corn and soy. The loading and unloading of these crops at larger farms tends to be more automated, leaving the driver mostly to driving-related responsibilities. The roads around these farms also tend to be wider and better maintained.
Drivers looking to work for large farms will find the greatest opportunity in Wyoming followed by Montana and New Mexico. Wyoming and Montana are the only states in the US with average farm sizes over 2000 acres.
Opportunities in the Trucking Industry
Next time you’re decorating for Halloween, preparing for your latest football tailgating party, or enjoying cider and donuts, think about the abundance of opportunities available for qualified drivers. For interested drivers looking for jobs, or curious readers looking for information on how the trucking industry affects all aspects of American society, DriverWave is your one-stop source.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, truck drivers in 2023 earned an average of $55,990, with the top 10 percent making $76,780 or more.