US Transportation and Warehousing Sector
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 294,054 transportation and warehousing establishments in the US provide the transport of commodities, goods, cargo, and passengers by land, sea, or air as well as temporary and long-term storage for goods.
Variable Fuel Costs
Fuel is a major expense, and the cost can vary significantly based on global market conditions.
Supply Chain Interdependence
The transportation and warehouse sectors are integral parts of the supply chain so the sectors are dependent on the effectiveness of the other links, which include suppliers, manufacturers, wholesalers, importers, exporters, e-commerce, and distributors that may be located anywhere in the world.
Industry size & Structure
The transportation and warehousing sector is comprised of 294,054 establishments that employ 6.6 million workers and generate $1.4 trillion in annual revenue, according to government sources.
- The transportation and warehousing sector represents 2.7% of the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs 4% of the country's workers.
- The sector is concentrated at the top with the 20 largest firms representing 34% of revenue, but it is fragmented at the bottom.
- In addition to employer establishments, the transportation and warehousing sector has 2.5 million owner-operated establishments with no employees. Subsectors with the highest numbers of nonemployer establishments are transit and ground passenger transportation (52%); truck transportation (27%); couriers and messengers (14%); and support activities for transportation (6%). The owners of nonemployer establishments typically perform the work and may outsource support functions like marketing and accounting.
- The transportation and warehousing sector shed about 27,000 establishments in 2021, which equals about 8.5% of existing establishments, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the sector added about 43,000 new establishments, which is equivalent to 13.6% of existing establishments. As a result, the sector had a growth rate of 5%.
- The transportation and warehousing sector is forecast to grow its employment base by 8.4% overall in 2021-2031, which is higher than the national average of 5.3% for all jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Industry Forecast
US Transportation and Warehousing Sector Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Dec 17, 2024 - West Coast Ports Win Market Share
- The US West Coast share of total imports from the Far East has increased in 2024 but spot rates into the West Coast have fallen faster than into the East Coast since July 1, according to ocean and air freight rate benchmarking and market analytics firm Xeneta. Service reliability from the Far East to US West coast is up 25 percentage points compared to July 2023 at 67.4%. Service reliability into the US East Coast remained flat year over year at 39%, making it less surprising to see more shippers choosing to import into the US West Coast, according to Xeneta.
- Low water levels are slowing export-bound barge shipments of grain and oilseeds from the Midwest farm belt for a third straight year, according to the US Coast Guard. The problem makes US exports less competitive in a world market awash in supplies, according to Marine Link. The US Coast Guard said that it has responded to several groundings along sections of the lower Mississippi River. Sandbars are showing on the Mississippi River at the Memphis, TN, river gauge, according to Marine Link. This stretch of the river fell to an all-time low of -12.04 feet in October 2023, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Water Prediction Service. “For each foot of draft reduction on the river, an individual barge is loaded with 7,000 fewer bushels (200 tons) of soybeans,” according to Mike Steenhoek, Executive Director of the Soy Transportation Coalition. “In certain areas of the river, we are seeing several feet of draft restrictions due to low water. In addition, the lack of water will narrow the shipping channel, which limits the number of barges that can be attached together to form one single flotilla or tow. Depending on the location in the river, tow sizes are being reduced from 10-15% at minimum and upwards of 30-40%.”
- The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced new emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks, buses, and other large vehicles. The rules will apply to eight classes of heavy trucks, from delivery vehicles and garbage trucks to long-haul rigs, and will cover model years 2027 through 2032. Required emissions reductions will gradually increase each year. Transportation accounts for 27% of the country's total greenhouse gas emissions, the agency said, and within the transportation sector, heavy-duty vehicles are the second-largest contributor, making up about a quarter of transportation emissions. The EPA estimated that the standards will avoid 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the next three decades and provide $13 billion in net benefits in the form of fewer hospital visits, lost work days and deaths.
- Transportation and warehousing sector employment increased moderately and average wages for nonsupervisory employees increased slightly during the first 10 months of 2024, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Transportation and warehousing sector prices increased slightly during the first 10 months of 2024. Transportation and warehousing sector sales are forecast to grow at a 4.2% compounded annual rate from 2024 to 2028, comparable to the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc.
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