Is there another place on earth where a motorized vehicle is happier than Michigan? While your truck may not have been manufactured in “The Great Lakes State,” there’s a good chance its powered with a Detroit-style engine; if not, you get bet it has a lot of truck stop pals who know all about them. With the top third of the state surrounded by the Great Lakes, Michigan has a number of seagoing ports, but would really want to put your life on a barge for the trip from Detroit to Cleveland? Those lakes are as rough at the high seas in the wrong weather. If you know nothing else about Michigan, you know it’s all about the automotive industry. Nine of the state’s top ten exports are some sort of vehicle or its associated parts. And who would have thought that rear-view mirrors counted as an export unto its own? For truckers, the best thing about four-wheeled vehicles is that most everyone has or needs one, and it’s a whole lot more efficient to haul a truckload of them to a dealership than to drive each separately. So, if you’re into autos first try to name a trucker who isn’t. Both of you will likely find countless opportunities in Michigan, and if not, there’s a whole lot more to the state than Detroit.
Geographic Advantages
Michigan in positioned in the upper Midwest along the Great Lakes. All major cities in the region (Detroit, Minnesota, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and St. Louis) are easily accessible from the state. And since the state is the capital of the U.S. auto industry, you can be guaranteed that some 125 years of development has created a case of all roads leading to Michigan.
Bordering States/Countries
Lower Michigan is surrounded by the Great Lakes three sides and Indiana and Ohio to the south. The Upper Penisula borders Wisconsin to the south, Lake Superior to the north, and connects with Canada via a short distance to the east
As the U.S. economy experiences is ups and downs, Michigan will always have a vital role and is a state by which economic conditions are gauged. When the economy goes, so goes the production of automobiles and vice-versa.
Deep Water Ports
Michigan is home to 23 ports on the Great Lakes, the largest being Muskegon Harbor and Detroit. All ports can access the Atlantic Ocean through the Gulf of St. Lawrence; however, the journey can be up to 2,500 miles.
Products Moved by Trucks
When it comes to truck driver jobs, Michigan offers many industries in which a driver can specialize as well as a large number of companies and carriers offering truck driver jobs. Many Michigan truck driver jobs are related to the automobile industry and high-tech products. and most products involve technology. Whether products are exported out of state, out of the country, or simply remain in the state for the use of those living in Michigan, 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 Michigan home:
- Small gas-powered trucks
- Large automobiles (piston engine
- Motor vehicle body parts, accessories
- Motor vehicle transmissions
- Large spark-ignition engines
- Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine)
- Miscellaneous motor vehicle parts
- Aircraft including engines, parts
- Natural gas (gaseous state)
- Vehicle rear-view mirrors
Michigan Highways
The Interstate Highways in Michigan include 4 interstate highways and 10 auxiliary interstates. The total mileage of interstate highway in Michigan is 1,281, just a portion of the state’s 256,000 lane miles of roadway and include:
I-69 from Kinderhook to Port Huron
I-75 from Erie Township to Sault St. Marie
I-94 from Buffalo Township to Port Huron
I-96 from Norton Shores to Detroit
Auxiliary interstate around larger cities
For more information on Michigan and its truck driver jobs, visit www.mitrucking.org