The transportation industry plays a hugely important role in the transport of goods all throughout the United States. From electronics to machinery to motorized vehicles (all of which make up the three most valuable commodities moved by freight in this one country alone), various goods are transported in record amounts of time. Other goods are of course also transported throughout the city, providing valuable commodities to people in more convenient ways than ever before.
Of course, the transportation industry itself has undergone a good deal of change – and growth – over the course of recent years. A growth in overall value of the goods being shipped is ongoing, as a matter of fact, with one ton of cargo expected to be worth more than $1,300 by the time that we reach the year of 2040, now just a mere 20 years in the future. And this is a remarkable increase from the year of 2013, during which a single ton of cargo was only worth just over $880. And this is far from the only way in which the transportation industry has experienced growth.
In addition to this growth in value, an actual growth in the amount of cargo shipped throughout the country has also occurred. The year of 2013 already saw 15 billion tons of cargo transported within the United States, a number that is certainly already quite impressive. But in the years that are ahead of us, this number is also one that is quite likely to grow, climbing to more than 18.5 billion tons of cargo transported on a yearly basis all by the time that we reach that above mentioned year of 2040. And who knows what growth will occur from that point on?
The employment of people in this field has also continued to grow considerably, especially now that there are up to 12 million different vehicles being used for the purposes of the transportation industry here in the United States alone. Because of this, more than five and a half million people are now employed in various operational roles surrounding them. and even outside of this, many others are employed in still different roles within the scope and scale of the transportation industry as a whole. Therefore, it is clear to see just how beneficial the growth of the transportation industry has been for so many people within it.
But why, exactly, has this growth occurred? For one thing, e-commerce is very much on the rise, pushing forward specialty freight services like less than truckload shipping as well as various other truckload logistics. Less than truckload logistics have become particularly prominent, with the industry surrounding less than truckload logistics in particular now worth more than $35 billion all in its own right. And in the years that are ahead of us, the field of less than truckload logistics is actually only likely to grow.
After all, e-commerce itself, which directly propels less than truckload logistics in many ways, is also on the climb. Already, it brings in more than $420 billion each year, and that’s just representative of the United States alone, let alone the other many countries where e-commerce has taken a firm hold. It’s expected to grow quite exponentially in the years that are ahead of us as well, something that is likely to continue to propel the overall growth of the transportation industry, from less than truckload logistics to expedited freight services and much more. The overall value and amount of cargo would also be likely to continue to grow in the years that are ahead of us, there is little doubt of this as well. After all, e-commerce provides consumers and customers with an easy way to consume, giving them a platform that allows them to buy things right from their very own home – and to have those things continue to reach them all without stepping foot outside of their door, if that’s what they desire.
At the end of the day, from truckload logistics to truckload shipping rates, it is clear to see the impact that change has made in the transportation world. Fortunately, this change has been good.
