Like its neighbor Indiana, Ohio is as close as one can get to the ideal state to operate as a truck driver. Easy access to the east coast in its large ports as well as routes to all points west and south make Ohio a trucker-friendly state whether you care about hauling buckeyes or not. Major cities including Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, drive Ohio’s economy, one offering products including the largest bioscience sector in the Midwest, “green” products, and plastics, rubber, fabricated metals, electrical equipment, and appliances. For a truck driver the best thing about Ohio’s exports is that they are all big and need big rigs to carry them to their destinations. Ohio even offers inland ports along Lake Erie, most notably Cleveland. While it’s true that ocean-going vessels can reach Cleveland and even Duluth, Minnesota over 2,000 miles inland, it’s a long haul taking 9 days. A truck can reach ports like New York and Philadelphia less than 9 hours. Which way would you rather travel? If you don’t know ask your truck.
Geographic Advantages
Ohio’s location on the Great Lakes in the east-central U.S. makes is a prime location for manufacturing and transporting good nationwide as well as internationally through the Port of New York and Canadian port accessible through the Great Lakes.
Bordering State/Countries
Ohio is bordered to the east by Pennsylvania, to the south Kentucky and West Virginia, to the west by Indiana, and to the north by the Lake Erie and Michigan.
Ohio’s Deep-Water Ports
Ohio includes 10 ports, 8 of which are along Lake Erie and include Cleveland and Toledo. The other two ports are along the southern border riverports at Cincinnati and South Point.
Products Moved by Trucks
Whether they are exported out of state, out of the country, or simply remain in the state for use in-state, according to the latest data from World’s Top Exports, the following are the primary products moved by truck drivers and offering truck driving jobs to those calling Ohio home:
- Aircraft including engines, parts
- Soya beans
- Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine)
- Large automobiles (piston engine)
- Motor vehicle body parts, accessories
- Large spark-ignition engines
- Small automobiles (piston engine)
- Digital processing units (individual components)
- Small portable digital computers
- Cigarettes
Ohio’s Highways
Ohio is home to 8 interstates that include nearly 1,500 miles of the total public roadway lane miles in the state that equal over 260,000. Major interstates include:
I-70 between West Virginia and Indiana
I-71 from Kentucky state line to Cleveland
I-74 from Indiana state line to Cincinnati
I-75 between Kentucky and Michigan
I-77 from West Virginia state line to Cleveland
I-80 between Pennsylvania and Indiana
I-90 between Indiana and Pennsylvania
For more information on Ohio and its truck driver jobs, visit: www.ohiotrucking.org