The for-hire trucking industry added 2,800 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis in the month of July, according to the Department of Labor’s monthly employment situation report, though June’s big gains were revised downward a few thousand jobs.
This is the second month in a row that for-hire trucking employment hit a more than eight-year high, with last month topping January 2007’s employment total for the first time since.
For hire trucking in the month totaled 1.4587 million on a seasonally adjusted basis.
The U.S. economy as a whole added 215,000 jobs in the month, and the country’s unemployment rate held at 5.3 percent — the lowest since the 2008-2009 recession.
The trade, transportation and utilities sector as a whole, under which for-hire truck transportation falls, added 60,000 jobs in the month, one of the key drivers in the economy’s gains.
Also in the month, manufacturing added 60,000 jobs, according to the report, and construction added 6,000 jobs.
