- Short answer
No study has shown that truck drivers live to only 61. The figure traces to a 2007 study of about 54,300 employees of four unionized trucking companies, where 61.3 was the average age at death of the drivers who died, not a life expectancy.2 In the same study the dock workers who did not drive averaged 59.1.2 When officials repeated "16 years shorter" in 2010, Trucking Info found the sources cited did not support it.1
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- Applies to
- Anyone quoting or worried about the "61 years" figure
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Where the 61 years claim comes from
The claim went national in 2010. On September 2, 2010, the Transportation Secretary's blog said, citing the CDC, that the average life expectancy for a commercial truck driver is 61 years. On November 8 the head of the federal trucking safety agency told a conference that commercial drivers live 16 years less than the norm.1
Trucking Info asked where the number came from. The department first answered with two studies, and neither supported the statistic. It then sent a third, the 2007 study on unionized trucking workers.12 The trail runs back further than that.
- 2003, a conference report. A report from a conference on truck driver safety and health, sponsored by a CDC research arm, held anecdotal life expectancy figures for owner-operators and Teamsters and said they merited more study.1
- August 2007, the study. "Cause-Specific Mortality in the Unionized U.S. Trucking Industry" appears in Environmental Health Perspectives.2
- March 2008, the Roemer item. It credits a Toronto researcher with a "10- to 15-year lower life expectancy" for drivers. The researcher later said, "I have not done such a study (and) I am not a Toronto researcher."1
- September 2, 2010. The Secretary's blog gives 61 years, citing the CDC.1
- November 8, 2010. The agency head says drivers live 16 years less.1
- November 22, 2010. Trucking Info reports the cited sources do not support 16 years.1
- December 21, 2010. The department forwards the 2007 study.2
- July 12, 2012. A follow-up article sets out the study's numbers again.3
What the 2007 study measured
2007 unionized trucking study, as reported
- Who
- About 54,300 employees of four unionized trucking companies in 1985
- Drivers, mean age at death
- 61.3, plus or minus 8.6 years
- Non-drivers, mean age at death
- 59.1, plus or minus 10.6 years
- Both groups, median age at death
- 61.9
- US men, median age at death, 1992
- 73.2, as cited in the article
- Main finding
- Higher lung cancer and heart disease rates than average, possibly linked to diesel and propane exhaust
- Checked
- Nov 10, 2026
Sources 2 and 3. Trucking Info reports the study's figures. We did not open the study itself.
Trucking Info's write-up never calls these figures a life expectancy. It reports a mean and a median age at death.3
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Get my priceOr call (305) 699-5857Why an average age at death is not a life expectancy
The study started from people who were working in 1985. Workers are, by definition, working age. A study like this can only average the ages of the members who had already died when it ended. Everyone still alive, including every retired driver heading into his 80s, is left out of that average.
So the number is pulled young by design. It tells you the age of the people who died early, not how long a driver can expect to live. Life expectancy is a different calculation that follows a whole group across every age.
Who still repeats it
| Who | What they say | Source given |
|---|---|---|
| CdlTraining.org | "the average truck driver life expectancy is 61 years old", and drivers "can expect to have their lifespan reduced by 17 years" | None for either number |
| AgencyHeight, life insurance broker | A 61 year life expectancy | A blog |
| 2010 federal officials | 61 years, and 16 years shorter than the norm | The CDC, which Trucking Info could not confirm |
Checked November 10, 2026. Sources 1, 4 and 5.
What does hold up
Driving is hard on the body, and the myth does not change that. The same 2007 study found higher lung cancer and heart disease than in the general population.2 On the job, truck drivers die at work at a rate of 25.7 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, against 3.3 for all workers in 2024.6 Our truck driver deaths tracker has every year from 2016.
The honest summary is that a driver's health risks are real and not well measured. No source we found has a sound life expectancy for drivers today.
What this means for a life insurance quote
Insurers do not price a driver from the 61 figure. They price the person in front of them. One broker writes that drivers "may be quoted for higher life insurance rates than people in other professions".8 A second broker reports that about 80% of the trucker applications its office placed came out Standard or better. That is one office's record, not a market figure, but it is a long way from a death sentence at 61.7
What moves your price is your own file, things like blood pressure, sleep apnea treatment and your driving record. See how insurers rate truck drivers, the sleep apnea page and our sample driver rates, or start from the home page.
Questions people ask
What is the life expectancy of a truck driver?
Nobody has measured it well. The common 61 figure is an average age at death from a 2007 study of union trucking workers, not a life expectancy.
Did the CDC say truck drivers live to 61?
A 2010 Transportation Department blog said so. When Trucking Info checked, the sources the agency pointed to did not support the 16 years shorter claim.
Do truck drivers die younger than other people?
They may. The 2007 study found more lung cancer and heart disease than average. But it cannot say by how many years, and no source we found gives a reliable gap.
Will an insurer charge me more because of this statistic?
Insurers price your own health, record and the policy you ask for. A driver in good health can be offered a standard or better class, though the real price depends on the insurer.
Sources (8)
- Trucking Info, DOT's truck driver life expectancy statistic is in question, November 22, 2010, opened November 10, 2026. truckinginfo.com
- Trucking Info, DOT adds information to discussion about truck driver life expectancy, December 21, 2010, opened November 10, 2026. truckinginfo.com
- Trucking Info, FMCSA answers questions about driver life expectancy statistics, July 12, 2012, opened November 10, 2026. truckinginfo.com
- CdlTraining.org, What is the life expectancy for truckers, no page date, opened November 10, 2026. cdltraining.org
- AgencyHeight, Life insurance for truck drivers, updated November 6, 2025, opened November 10, 2026. agencyheight.com
- Land Line, Truck driving remains America's deadliest job, February 27, 2026, opened November 10, 2026. landline.media
- Diversified Insurance Brokers, Life insurance for truck drivers, last reviewed October 6, 2026, opened November 10, 2026. diversifiedquotes.com
- SelectQuote, Life insurance guide for truck drivers, no page date, opened November 10, 2026. selectquote.com
