Whether Chicago is your “kind of town” or not, you’ll find plenty of carriers serving smaller cities and rural areas in “The Land of Lincoln.” Of course, if you can tolerate Chicago, you’ll have a lot more opportunities as the city borders the Great Lakes, and Chicago is a major freshwater port serving the Central U.S. And while trains once dominated freight transport to and from Chicago and Illinois, trucks picked up the slack trains left behind. In fact, in terms of exports, Illinois ranks as the sixth busiest state in the U.S. and the only of the top 10 states without direct access to a seaport. Like it’s Midwest neighbors, Illinois exports many products — the proof of the pudding being that light petroleum oils, the state’s major export, only makes up 3.2% of total products hauled out of state. It’s likely that Illinois is already on your mind if you’re looking to start driving or relocate. Just take care driving across those Chicago overpasses. If the wind catches your rig just right, you may wind up in Kansas!
Geographic Advantages
Other than its location in the center of the country, the primary advantage for those with truck driver jobs in Illinois is the fact the state his home to the third largest city in the U.S. — Chicago. Chicago and its surrounding area produce many products, and south of Chicago are numerous other cities including Springfield, Peoria, Decatur, and just over the state line, St. Louis.
Bordering States/Countries
Illinois is bordered by Wisconsin and Lake Michigan to the north, Indiana and Kentucky to the east, and Missouri and Iowa to the west. Its western boundary is formed by the Mississippi River.
As the economy experiences is ups and downs, Illinois, with Chicago as its primary city has many consumers in need of life’s necessities. Cross country routes offer access to Chicago, making Illinois one of the Midwest’s most plentiful states when it comes to the seeking truck driver jobs.
Illinois Ports
While the Mississippi River offers Illinois some ports, the Port of Chicago is by far the largest and most important in the state. While it is a long distance, ships leaving Chicago can travel through the Great Lakes and actually reach the Atlantic Ocean via the Gulf of St. Lawrence. With the time involved in shipping by vessels, however, it is much faster and less expensive to send products headed eastward via truck.
Products Moved by Trucks
When it comes to truck driver jobs, Illinois offers a variety of industries in which a driver can specialize. Whether products are exported out of state, out of the country, or simply remain in the state for the use of those living in Idaho, 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 Illinois home:
- Light petroleum oils
- Antisera, other blood fractions
- Off-highway dumper trucks
- Miscellaneous medications
- Modems, similar reception/transmission devices
- Cell phones
- Aircraft including engines, parts
- Corn
- Miscellaneous motor vehicle parts
- Soya beans
Illinois Highways
Interstate routes across Illinois include the east to west coast connecting I-80, I-88 from Chicago to Davenport, I-90 from Chicago to Rockford, I-70 from Indianapolis to St. Louis, and I-57 connecting Chicago to I-70. Southern Illinois is crossed by I-64 leading from Louisville to St. Louis, and numerous auxiliary interstate highways surround larger cities within the state.
For more information on Illinois and its truck driver jobs, visit www.iltrucking.org