When it comes to early American history, it’s hard to get much earlier than Virginia. From Jamestown to Williamsburg to Yorktown, Virginia has arguably played the most important role in the nation’s history than any other state. But you probably aren’t planning to haul your load with a team of oxen, so those days aren’t so important in the 21st century. What is important is that Virginia is home to a number of ports, the largest at Norfolk, also among the world’s largest naval bases. You might in fact find a job with a military contractor and help stock Navy ships with enough food and supplies to last months at sea. No, you may not have been around when Virginians were building America, but as a driver in the “Old Dominion” trucking industry, get ready to make some history of your own!
Geographic Advantages
Virginia is located on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard offering access from its ports to all areas of the country as well as larger ports along the East Coast. Its proximity to Washington, D.C. also provides for the state’s trucking industry to strongly impact national freight moving policy.
Bordering State/Countries
Virginia is bordered to the north by Maryland and Washington D.C. (along with Chesapeake Bay), to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by North Carolina, and to the West by Tennessee and West Virginia.
Virginia’s Deep-Water Ports
Virginia is home to several ports along the Atlantic coast line and Chesapeake Bay. The Port of Norfolk is the largest, followed by Newport News and Portsmouth. Others include Yorktown and Piney Point, with inland ports at Hopewell and Richmond.
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 Virginia home:
- Coal (non-agglomerated, bituminous)
- Integrated circuits (memories)
- Aircraft including engines, parts
- Semi-trailer truck tractors
- Soya beans
- Office machine parts and accessories
- Kraft paper, paperboard
- Unmanufactured tobacco
- Artificial filament of cellulose acetate
- Solid residues including soya bean oil-cake
Virginia’s Highways
Virginia has over 160,000 lane miles of roadway offering truck drivers many routes across and throughout the state. About 1,100 miles of these roadways are included in Virginia’s interstate system as follows:
I-64 from West Virginia state line to Chesapeake
I-66 from Middletown to Washington, D.C.
I-77 between North Carolina and West Virginia
I-79 between West Virginia border near Perry to Erie
I-81 between Tennessee and West Virginia
I-83 from Shrewsbury to Harrisburg
I-85 from North Carolina to Petersburg
I-86 from Greenfield Township to New York border at North East Township
I-95 from North Carolina state line to Washington, D.C.
Auxiliary interstate highways
For more information on Virginia and its truck driver jobs, visit: www.vatrucking.org