As Michigan motorists take to the roadways, more and more they are sharing the lanes with commercial truck traffic. While these big rigs might seem intimidating when they pull up beside you on the interstate, they are a valuable tool for the state’s economic engine. With access to some of the major highways and port systems in the country, their ability to deliver goods and materials are what keeps the state moving.

• Commercial truck traffic on Michigan state trunklines has increased from an estimated 3.64 billion total commercial vehicle miles traveled in 1993 to an estimated 4.94 billion total commercial vehicle miles in 2002.
• Michigan's international highway crossings are ranked first and fifth nationally for having the most commercial truck traffic.
• The Federal Highway Administration projects that highway freight shipments to and from Michigan will increase from 463 million tons in 1998 to 672 million tons in 2010, and 836 million tons in 2020, with corresponding values of $595 billion in 1998 to 1,099 billion in 2010, and $1,737 billion in 2020.
• Of the approximate 9,700 state trunkline miles, 90 percent now are classified as able to accommodate commercial vehicles with single trailers up to 53' long or 2 "twin" trailers each 28.5' long. In 1993, only 73 percent of state trunkline miles were classified as designated routes.
  
• Commercial trucking is projected to increase by 52 percent in Michigan by 2020.