4 Mind-Blowing Statistics About BC’s Trucking Industry You’ll See For Yourself Once You Become a Dispatcher

The vast majority of goods in British Columbia are delivered by truck. This established and dependable delivery system spans much of the province, and transports the bulk of materials that we use in our daily lives—including clothes, food, and almost any other product required by consumers or businesses. This is accomplished through an estimated 23,274 companies.

The big statistics of this vital industry are worth assessing, especially if you’re considering a dispatcher career in BC—which will put you at the heart of BC’s goods transportation system.

BC Trucking Hauls Hundreds of Millions of Tonnes Annually

The total weight of cargo hauled by BC fleets has increased substantially since the global financial crash of 2008. The industry hauled a total of 731 million tonnes of cargo around the province in 2015, up from approximately 530 million tonnes in 2009.

To put this in perspective, in 2015 BC truckers hauled away the weight equivalent of over 121 Great Pyramids of Giza—a pyramid which is carved out of solid limestone and which was the heaviest man-made structure on the planet for over 2,000 years. As you’ll learn as a dispatcher, the average weight of consumer products in BC trucks is a lower than solid limestone, making this a truly staggering volume of goods.

Become a Dispatcher and See How BC Trucks Cover Billions of Kilometres

BC trucks have steadily increased the total amount of distance covered since 2009. This has risen overall from approximately 32 billion kilometres in 2009 to 39 billion kilometres in 2015, and reflects the positive economic development that the province has experienced. To put this in perspective, the total distance travelled by BC trucks in 2015 is equivalent to 130 trips from the surface of Earth to the Sun and back. As you complete your truck dispatching training program and start tracking daily journeys, you’ll soon get a first-hand perspective on the distance the industry can cover.

Grads of Dispatch Courses in Vancouver Know How Many Border Crossings BC Trucks Make

Not just rolling out on Canadian highways, BC’s trucks make a massive number of border crossings every year, totalling out at over a million crossings to and from Canada in 2015. This vital cross-border trade, and the effective job that BC truckers and dispatchers do in transporting goods, is a real economic driver for the province. When you become a dispatcher, you will see for yourself how many trucks stream across the border.

BC Trucks Contribute More Than Even BC’s Massive Forestry Industry

Over 148 million hectares of British Columbia are covered by forests, an area the size of France and Germany combined. Living in British Columbia, you’ll know this has given rise to a vibrant logging and forestry industry, which is one of the most developed in North America. However, even this industry can’t match the impact that BC trucking has made, with BC trucks ultimately contributing over 1 per cent of GDP at a massive $2.3 billion CAD, more than either the forestry & logging or coal mining sectors.

Do you want to be part of a vibrant and essential industry in BC?

Contact Automotive Training Centres for more on dispatch courses in Vancouver.