There is no doubt about it that the transportation industry is growing and changing with each passing year, especially as it exists here in the United States. In fact, a number of these recent changes can be clearly supported by the data that has been drawn up on the subject, data that proves that very little about this industry is staying stagnant. Rather, a good deal of growth and development is not just taking place, but is expected to continue taking place into future years as well.
For instance, the actual amount of cargo being transported throughout the United States is nothing if not on the rise. Back in the year of 2013, now nearly seven full years in the past, it was found that around 15 billion tons of cargo were being hauled on a yearly basis. And while this was certainly not an unimpressive number, it’s one that has skyrocketed already – and is projected to continue doing so. After all, it is speculated that very nearly 19 billion tons of cargo will be hauled within the span of a year by the time that we reach the year of 2040, now only just around 20 years ahead of us.
And by the time that we reach that same year of 2040, the overall value of cargo, especially cargo by the ton, is expected to climb impressively as well. Already, it was shown to be worth more than $800 by the time that we had reached the year of 2013. And by 2040, it will have soared to an average value (by the ton) of more than $1,300. And who knows how high it will climb after that point. The sky is truly the limit.
These increases have also led to other changes. For one thing, there are simply more vehicles needed to make the industry function as it should be. Already, we need around 12 million vehicles, from trucks to freight locomotives and beyond, to make the transportation industry flow smoothly from day to day, month to month, year to year. And more drivers of these vehicles are needed as well, with already more than five and a half million of them employed all throughout the United States. Therefore, it is clear to see how the transportation industry helps to keep employment rates high here in the United States.
But what exactly has led to these numbers, to this amount of growth seen in the transportation industry throughout the United States? For one thing, a wider variety of service is offered than ever before when it comes to truckload shipping. For instance, less than truckload shipping services are particularly commonplace, with the market for LTL shipping already worth around $35 billion in its own right. Less than truckload shipping is ideal for expedited shipping services, as more goods can be on the road faster.
And it’s e-commerce that has pushed both less than truckload shipping as well as the demand for expedited freight companies. After all, there is no doubting the fact that e-commerce has taken off on a worldwide scale – and particularly here in the United States. For many people, the ease and convenience of online shopping cannot be paralleled, making online shopping become more and more commonplace and popular with each and every passing year. After all, why go shopping when you can have your products delivered directly to your home? For many people, buying goods and products online has helped to streamline life immensely, something that just about every one of us can benefit from.
Of course, the data that has been gathered on the subject of e-commerce is more than in support of this claim – and shows just how much it has pushed the growth of things like LTL freight services and less than truckload shipping as a whole, for that matter. Thanks to consumer interest in more and more online purchases and consumer interest in getting their goods as quickly as they possibly can, things like less than truckload shipping are certainly likely to only grow more and more prevalent in the years that are ahead of us. In all, this holds true for much of this industry.
