Has anyone ever told you that you’re one “peach” of a driver? We didn’t think so. But spend a career hauling loads of Georgia peaches to grocery chains throughout the country, and you’ll be smelling them the rest of your life! And if big cities are your thing, don’t miss Atlanta. The city’s “Spaghetti Junction” is among the most noted (and ridiculed) interstate convergence zones in the country — engineers stand in awe as they watch truckers pass blowing more exhaust from their ears than their truck’s twin stacks. But Georgia has been on a run that has grown it into a national powerhouse in terms of economic development, and truck drivers aren’t spared the riches!
Geographic Advantages
Georgia is located just north of Florida along the South Atlantic shoreline. In the past 40-50 years, the City of Atlanta has become the epicenter of economic activity in the Southeast U.S., and it continues to grow. With ports along the Atlantic Ocean, highways converging on Atlanta, and a state most tourists pass through if headed to Florida, Georgia is well-known as a base for carriers and many truck driver jobs.
Bordering States/Countries
Georgia borders the Atlantic Ocean and South Carolina to the east, Florida to the south, North Carolina and Tennessee to the north, and Alabama to the west.
As the economy experiences is ups and downs, Georgia and its warm climate allow for year-round activity in most transportation industry sectors and help pull up the slack that other less prominent states in the trucking industry lose during economic slowdowns.
Georgia’s Deep Water Ports
Primary ports in Georgia include The Ports of Brunswick and Savannah along the east coast. Inland ports are found at Bainbridge and Columbus.
Products Moved by Trucks
When it comes to truck driver jobs, Georgia offers a variety of industries in which a driver can specialize. Whether they are exported out of state, out of the country, or simply remain in the state for the use of those living in Georgia, according to the latest data from World’s Top Exports, the following are the primary products moved by truck drivers and offering many truck driving jobs to those calling Georgia home:
- Vehicles
- Ores, slag, ash
- Beverages, spirits, vinegar
- Iron, steel
- Pharmaceuticals
- Fruits, nuts
- Fertilizers
- Machinery including computers
- Gems, precious metals
- Tobacco, manufactured substitutes
Georgia Highways
It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that in Georgia, all roads lead to Atlanta. And from Atlanta, highways head out in every direction. For north-south drivers, I-75 is the primary route, entering Georgia near Chattanooga, Tennessee, passing through Atlanta, and onto the Florida border. I-95 passes along the coastline, while I-15 sends coastline traffic inland. I-20 crosses the state from Augusta westward to Atlanta and Alabama, as does I-85, providing access from Greenville, South Carolina, to Auburn, Alabama. Many other auxiliary arteries surround Atlanta and other larger cities.
For more information on Georgia and its truck driver jobs, visit www.gmta.org