Kentucky Trucking

By Carrie Pond

Frankfort, KY – The slow economy has fewer truckers on Kentucky's roadways. Between October and July of last year, the state transportation cabinet saw a 6.5 percent decrease in the highway use tax it levies on the big rigs. The head of the Kentucky Motor Transport Association Jamie Fiepke says it's because the number of manufactured goods freighted through Kentucky has declined.

"We're tied in with the manufacturing, the housing. Basically in Kentucky,
if you look at it this way, we deliver about 80 percent of commodities to
your door, so obviously if you have less trucks out on the road, there's
less products being sold."

And since there's less freight to haul, Fiepke says trucking companies are hiring fewer drivers.