When it comes to staying connected in the trucking industry, younger people tend to use the internet frequently. And they tend to use smart phones for purposes other than making phone calls and to use social media – no matter what industry segment they work in. Those are just some of the conclusions drawn from the Trucking Connectivity Study, produced by Randall-Reilly Market Intelligence.
“This is the most comprehensive study available on the trends and behaviors affecting how members of the trucking industry communicate and stay informed,” says Avery Vise, executive director, trucking research, Randall-Reilly Business Media & Information. “It is must-have information for anyone who markets products and services within trucking.”
The study also found that age appeared to correlate more with adoption of smart phones and use of social media than with use of the internet in general. Instead, frequency of internet use appears to vary more by occupation. Mobile trucking professionals – owner-operators and company drivers – are not as likely to be constantly connected as are office-based professionals. Similarly, radio/satellite radio is a frequent source of trucking information for drivers and owner-operators but almost irrelevant for other audiences.
In all but one audience – company drivers – a majority of respondents did not use any of the major social media networks. Facebook was the most widely used social media network in all audiences, both in terms of percentage that use it at all and in the frequency of use. Although not as popular as Facebook, LinkedIn is used by a significant number of dealer and fleet executives. But Twitter is used by a very small percentage in all audiences.
Other Key Findings:
- Printed magazines remain the most important source of trucking information for all audiences.
- Nearly half of fleet executives are connected to the Internet at all times and more than 60% of those 50 and under are constantly connected.
- More than 70% of owner-operators use the Internet at least once a day.
- A majority of company drivers use Facebook, including 60% of those 50 and younger.
- Dealers use supplier websites more frequently than any other source of information on trucking, although e-mail newsletters are very close behind.
- A majority of parts distributor/repair facility executives/managers do not use any of the major social media networks, and there was no significant difference between older and younger respondents.
The study was conducted over a series of weeks over Randall-Reilly’s extensive audiences in the fleet, owner-operator, company driver, dealer, distributor and repair garage segments. A total of 2,167 online and telephone surveys were completed.
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