Industry overview
The freight industry at a glance
Freight remains a high-volume, multimodal industry: global road freight reached 25.3 trillion tonne-kilometres in 2025, while maritime trade faces slower growth and elevated geopolitical and cost risk.
- 25.3T tonne-km[77]
- Global road freight, 2025
- 243.7B tonne-km[77]
- Global air freight, 2024
- 2.0% CAGR[64]
- Maritime trade, 2026–2030
- 2.1M workers[78]
- Heavy-duty truck drivers, 2025
- Market size
- Global freight activity is measured across several modes rather than by one universally defined revenue total. In 2025, worldwide road freight amounted to 25.29 trillion tonne-kilometres, rail freight to 10.57 trillion, and inland-waterway freight to 2.62 trillion; global air freight reached 243.74 billion tonne-kilometres in 2024.[77]
- Forecast & CAGR
- UN Trade and Development projects total maritime trade to grow at an average annual rate of 2.0% from 2026 through 2030. Containerized maritime trade is forecast to grow faster, at 2.3% annually over the same period.[64]
- Market share & regions
- Asia remains the central region in global freight flows: Eastern and South-Eastern Asia accounted for 8.29 trillion road tonne-kilometres and 3.88 trillion rail tonne-kilometres in 2025. In air cargo, IATA reported that Asia-Pacific carriers held 34.5% of global cargo tonne-kilometres in 2025.[77][69]
- Segmentation
- Freight is segmented by mode—road, rail, inland waterway, maritime and air—and by service, including freight forwarding, contract logistics, warehousing and value-added services. In the United States, heavy-duty truck drivers were the largest transportation-related occupational group in 2025, with 2.1 million workers.[78][79]
- Key players & concentration
- Freight is fragmented in road transport and logistics, but concentration is higher in ocean shipping and large third-party logistics. DSV said its completed acquisition of DB Schenker created a combined company with approximately DKK 310 billion in pro-forma revenue and nearly 160,000 employees across more than 90 countries.[80]
- Pricing
- Freight pricing remains volatile because of rerouting, congestion, capacity management and trade-policy uncertainty. UN Trade and Development reported that average Shanghai-to-west-coast U.S. container spot rates rose 57.3% between April and May 2025, while rates to the U.S. east coast increased 37.3%.[64]
- Trends, drivers & challenges
- The main drivers are merchandise trade, e-commerce, industrial production, infrastructure investment and supply-chain diversification. The principal challenges are geopolitical disruptions, longer shipping routes, port congestion, decarbonization costs and cyber risk; UN Trade and Development reported that rerouting pushed maritime ton-miles up 5.9% in 2024.[64]
- Consumer behavior & competition
- Freight customers increasingly compete on reliability, visibility, speed and resilience rather than price alone, encouraging multimodal sourcing and digital shipment management. Air cargo demand reached a record in 2025, with global cargo tonne-kilometres increasing 3.4% year over year, according to IATA.[69][64]
- M&A
- M&A is expanding the scale and service range of freight providers. In 2026, Thoma Bravo announced an agreement to acquire WWEX Group and combine it with Auctane; WWEX reported approximately $5 billion in systemwide revenue in 2025. CMA CGM also agreed to acquire FedEx Supply Chain for an enterprise value of $1.4 billion, subject to regulatory approvals.[81][12]
- Regulation
- Regulation is centered on safety, emissions, labor standards, customs and digital trade documentation. Maritime operators face tightening environmental requirements: UN Trade and Development reported that more than 90% of the active global fleet still ran on conventional fuels in 2025, while alternative-fuel vessels represented over half of new ship tonnage on order.[64]
- Latest news
- Recent freight developments include continuing maritime disruption and consolidation. IATA reported record global air-cargo volume for 2025, while C.H. Robinson announced in October 2026 a proposed $5.8 billion acquisition of RXO, a transaction intended to combine two major North American third-party logistics networks.[69][82]
Revenue of the largest freight companies
FedEx leads with $94.7B in annual revenue (group level, converted to USD).
Ranking
Top 10 Companies in the Freight Industry
The largest and best-known companies in the freight industry, ranked by market impact and brand popularity.
- 1
DSV
Air, sea, road freight and contract logistics worldwide · DK
DSV completed its Schenker acquisition in 2025, creating a world-leading transport and logistics group.[83]
Overall9.4Impact8.9Performance9.9Momentum9.9Innovation8.5Popularity9.8 - 2
DHL Group
Express, forwarding, contract logistics and freight worldwide · DE
DHL's Global Forwarding, Freight division generated €18.6 billion in 2025 revenue.[11]
Overall9.0Impact9.9Performance7.7Momentum8.7Innovation9.9Popularity– - 3
FedEx
Express, ground and air freight worldwide · US
FedEx operates an integrated network serving more than 220 countries and territories.[84]
Overall8.9Impact9.8Performance8.4Momentum8.7Innovation8.5Popularity– - 4
CMA CGM
Container shipping, logistics and terminals worldwide · FR
CMA CGM operates over 650 vessels and more than 250 shipping lines worldwide.[85]
Overall8.6Impact9.5Performance7.7Momentum8.3Innovation8.5Popularity– - 5
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company
Container shipping, logistics and inland freight worldwide · CH
MSC operates about 1,000 vessels and carries an estimated 30 million TEUs annually.[86]
Overall8.5Impact8.7Performance–Momentum9.6Innovation7.0Popularity– - 6
Kuehne+Nagel
Sea, air, road freight and contract logistics worldwide · CH
Kuehne+Nagel maintained the number-one position in global airfreight in 2025.[87]
Overall8.1Impact9.2Performance7.6Momentum7.6Innovation8.5Popularity7.0 - 7
Union Pacific
Class I rail freight across the United States · US
Union Pacific operates a 32,452-mile freight railroad network across the western United States.[88]
Overall8.0Impact7.0Performance9.3Momentum8.8Innovation7.0Popularity– - 8
Canadian National Railway
Class I rail freight across Canada and the United States · CA
CN operates an approximately 20,000-mile rail network connecting Canada, the United States and Mexico.[89]
Overall7.9Impact7.0Performance9.4Momentum8.1Innovation7.0Popularity– - 9
Ryder System
Dedicated transportation, fleet and freight logistics · US
Ryder operates dedicated transportation, freight brokerage and supply-chain logistics services.[28]
Overall7.8Impact7.0Performance7.9Momentum8.0Innovation7.0Popularity9.8 - 10
C.H. Robinson Worldwide
Freight brokerage and transportation logistics worldwide · US
C.H. Robinson arranges truckload, less-than-truckload, ocean and air freight worldwide.[82]
Overall7.6Impact7.0Performance7.0Momentum8.0Innovation8.5Popularity–
How we score
Impact: scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position). Performance: recent revenue growth and operating margin. Momentum: growth trajectory and future potential. Innovation: R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is. Popularity: brand search demand. Overall weights them 30/20/20/15/15 and leaves out what is not known. Figures come from annual reports and filings; Momentum and Innovation combine those figures with an analyst assessment. Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale and recalculated when new figures are published.
Trends & forecasts
Top 10 Freight Industry Trends & Forecasts 2027
What is changing in the freight industry, with the evidence behind each trend and a forecast for 2027.
Forecasts were generated by an AI model from the cited evidence. They are estimates, not guarantees.
01Maritime trade growth settles near 2%
High confidenceUN Trade and Development expects maritime trade to grow by an average 2.0% annually from 2026 through 2030, with containerized trade growing 2.3% annually. This implies steady but moderate expansion rather than a return to exceptionally strong post-pandemic growth.[64]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, seaborne trade is likely to expand by roughly 2%, while containerized volumes should remain slightly stronger at around 2.3%. Growth will be supported by Asian trade and industrial supply-chain diversification but restrained by weak demand and trade-policy uncertainty.
02Air cargo demand remains resilient
High confidenceIATA reported that global air-cargo demand reached a record in 2025, with cargo tonne-kilometres up 3.4% year over year and capacity up 3.7%. Full-year yields declined 1.5%, indicating stronger volume growth alongside improving supply-demand balance.[69]
Forecast 2027: Air-cargo demand should grow by approximately 3% to 4% in 2027, supported by e-commerce, time-sensitive goods and supply-chain risk management. Capacity growth is likely to remain close to demand, limiting broad-based yield inflation.
03Asia keeps freight-flow leadership
High confidenceIATA reported that Asia-Pacific carriers accounted for 35.9% of global air-cargo tonne-kilometres in 2025. UN Trade and Development also identifies Asia as the leading region in maritime connectivity and major freight flows.[69][64]
Forecast 2027: Asia-Pacific should retain the largest share of global freight activity in 2027. Growth is likely to be strongest on intra-Asian and Asia-Europe routes as production networks diversify without abandoning the region’s manufacturing base.
04Rerouting keeps transport distances elevated
High confidenceUN Trade and Development reported that vessel rerouting increased maritime ton-miles by 5.9% in 2024, nearly three times the increase in cargo volume. Longer routes have raised voyage times, fuel consumption, emissions and effective transport capacity requirements.[64]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, ton-miles are likely to remain above pre-disruption norms even if some routes normalize. Persistent geopolitical risk will encourage carriers and shippers to retain contingency routing, extra inventory and more diversified port options.
05Freight prices stay volatile
High confidenceUN Trade and Development reported that average Shanghai-to-U.S.-west-coast container spot rates rose 57.3% between April and May 2025, while rates to the U.S. east coast increased 37.3%. The movements illustrate the sensitivity of freight pricing to rerouting, congestion and capacity management.[64]
Forecast 2027: Freight rates should remain more volatile in 2027 than before 2020, although average container pricing may moderate when capacity is available. Sudden geopolitical disruptions, port bottlenecks or tariff-related front-loading could still produce sharp short-term increases.
06Driver shortages remain structural
High confidenceIRU reported approximately 2.9 million unfilled truck-driver positions across 18 markets in 2025, equal to about 11% of the workforce. Its earlier global assessment found that 3.4 million drivers were expected to retire by 2029, reinforcing the demographic nature of the shortage.[90]
Forecast 2027: The shortage is likely to persist or worsen in 2027, particularly in long-haul road freight. Operators will respond through higher compensation, retention programs, broader recruitment pools, improved driver facilities and selective automation.
07Truck employment continues gradual growth
High confidenceThe U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 2,221,200 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in 2025 and projects employment of 2,305,000 by 2035, a 3.8% increase. The agency also projects about 214,500 openings annually, largely reflecting replacement demand.[91]
Forecast 2027: U.S. heavy-truck-driver employment should edge upward in 2027, but replacement hiring will remain more important than net job creation. Freight operators will continue to face labor scarcity even if total employment rises modestly.
08Alternative-fuel shipping capacity accelerates
High confidenceUN Trade and Development reported that alternative-fuel vessels represented more than half of new ship tonnage on order in 2025, while more than 90% of the active fleet still used conventional fuels. The contrast shows that fleet renewal is moving faster than fleet conversion.[64]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, alternative-fuel capability should continue expanding through newbuild deliveries, especially in container shipping. Conventional fuels will still dominate the operating fleet, so the near-term effect will be higher investment and fuel-choice complexity rather than rapid sector-wide decarbonization.
09Shipping emissions rules approach implementation
Medium confidenceThe International Maritime Organization’s proposed Net-Zero Framework combines a global marine-fuel standard with emissions pricing and is intended to apply to ocean-going ships above 5,000 gross tonnage, which account for more than 85% of global shipping emissions. The IMO has described 2027 as the expected entry-into-force year, subject to the required legal process.[92]
Forecast 2027: Regulatory preparation will intensify in 2027, including emissions measurement, fuel certification, compliance planning and investment in lower-carbon vessels. If adoption is delayed, companies will still act ahead of formal enforcement because ship lifetimes and fuel infrastructure require long lead times.
10Digital freight documents gain traction
Medium confidenceFIATA reported that work on the electronic consignment note, or eCMR, reached a regulatory milestone in 2025 and was moving toward approval of a harmonized framework. The organization links eCMR and electronic bills of lading with faster document processing and more efficient cross-border data exchange.[93]
Forecast 2027: Adoption of electronic consignment notes and electronic multimodal documents should broaden in 2027, first among large carriers, forwarders and cross-border shippers. Fragmented national implementation and interoperability concerns will prevent universal adoption.
Technology & Innovation
AI in the freight industry
- 26% of freight forwarders said pharmaceutical customers expected AI-powered logistics solutions in 2025.[1]
- 30% of surveyed transportation teams identified routing, transport or shipment optimization as a leading AI use case in 2026.[2]
- 15% of surveyed logistics service providers reported using AI at scale in transportation management in 2026.[2]
- Nearly 80% of shippers and logistics service providers cited cost reduction and efficiency as the main drivers of AI adoption in 2025.[1]
Automation in the freight industry
- 44% of North American supply-chain executives said their organizations had deployed warehouse robotics in 2025.[3]
- 54% of 3PLs reported having already invested in or currently investing in advanced predictive analytics in 2024.[4]
- 49% of warehouse and distribution-center operators used automated data collection in 2025.[5]
- DHL Supply Chain used nearly 800,000 Internet-of-Things sensors across its global network in 2025.[3]
Innovation in the freight industry
- Fifteen freight-related research projects received initial seed funding in stage one of USDOT’s 2025 ARPA-I Ideas Challenge.[6]
- More than 24% of U.S. transportation workers were aged 55 or older in the 2026 National Freight Strategic Plan.[6]
- More than 40% growth in U.S. freight volumes was projected over the 30 years covered by USDOT’s Smart City Challenge freight outlook.[6]
- 43% of small freight forwarders ranked customer relationship management among their top three technology-improvement priorities for 2025.[7]
People & Workforce
Hiring in the freight industry
- 45% of U.S. private fleets paid driver sign-on bonuses in 2025.[8]
- 15 candidates was the average number screened for each driver hire by U.S. private fleets in 2025.[8]
- 76% of logistics organizations reported acute talent shortages in the 2025 logistics workforce survey.[9]
- 55% of logistics professionals said job availability was why they entered the logistics sector in 2025.[9]
Employee retention in the freight industry
- 74% of U.S. carriers offered at least one type of driver bonus in 2024.[10]
- 49% of logistics workers reported leaving a previous job because of inadequate wages in 2025.[9]
- 20% was DHL Group's total employee fluctuation rate in 2025.[11]
- 14.5% was the 15-year average driver turnover rate for U.S. private fleets reported in 2025.[8]
Upskilling in the freight industry
- 6.3 million hours were spent on employee training and professional development at DHL Group in 2024.[11]
- 33,000 frontline FedEx Ground team members received mentorship and learning opportunities through Purple Pathways by 2023.[12]
- 8 million hours of safety training were completed by UPS employees in its 2024 sustainability reporting.[13]
- 24.44 hours was FedEx non-management employees' average training time in fiscal 2023.[14]
DEI in the freight industry
Customer & Sales
Customer experience in the freight industry
- 58% of shippers said customer service was an AI use case in transportation in 2026.[2]
- 80% of logistics customers said customer-service quality shapes their perception of a logistics business in 2024.[17]
- 78% of logistics customers said they are more loyal to providers they trust to deliver great customer support in 2024.[17]
- 74% of shippers said a 3PL’s artificial-intelligence capabilities would likely influence provider selection in 2025.[18]
Customer retention in the freight industry
- 34% of supply-chain companies reported year-over-year improvement in customer retention in the 2023 survey.[19]
- About 4% of respondents reported a year-over-year decline in average response time in the 2023 supply-chain survey.[19]
- About 5% of respondents reported a year-over-year decline in customer retention in the 2023 survey.[19]
- Only 2% of 3PL respondents reported a customer-base decline of 10% or more in the 2025 survey.[20]
Customer acquisition in the freight industry
- 22.7% of existing freight-forwarding customers won quotes in 2025, versus 13.4% for new customers.[21]
- 46.5% of digital freight-forwarding platform revenue came from enterprise 3PLs in 2025.[22]
- 25% of third-party logistics warehouse companies used paid advertising to drive new business in 2023.[23]
- 77% of 3PL respondents grew their customer base in the 2026 market update.[24]
Customer loyalty in the freight industry
- 68% of consumers were loyal to last-mile delivery services in late 2024.[25]
- 60% of freight forwarders with loyalty contracts considered those contracts fair and reasonable in the Canadian survey.[26]
- 70% of global parcel-delivery customers said they would recommend the provider in 2025.[27]
- 96% of U.S. consumers with a positive big-and-bulky delivery experience said they were more likely to shop with that retailer again in 2025.[28]
Lead generation in the freight industry
- 14% of surveyed shippers used online portals for instant freight quotes in November 2024.[7]
- 25% of third-party logistics warehouse companies used paid advertisements to drive new business in 2023.[23]
- 13.4% of new freight-forwarding customers won quotes in the 2025 quote analysis.[21]
- 81% of third-party logistics warehouse companies attributed growth to new customer acquisition in 2023.[23]
Marketing & Brand
Marketing in the freight industry
- 10% of logistics companies in a European survey described the logistics industry’s image as good.[29]
- 21% of logistics companies in the same European survey spent more than €500,000 annually on marketing and communications.[30]
- 56% of transportation and logistics respondents increased their marketing budget in the current fiscal year in 2024.[31]
- 44% of supply-chain marketers had at least 10 years of professional experience in 2024.[32]
Digital marketing in the freight industry
- 9 of the world’s 20 largest freight forwarders provided a quote in Freightos’s 2016 online-sales test.[33]
- 30% of the world’s 20 largest freight forwarders used paid search to drive website traffic in a 2016 mystery-shopper study.[33]
- 49% of freight forwarders and logistics providers had digitized 50% or less of their business processes in a November 2024 survey.[7]
- 49% of transportation and logistics marketers tracked email-marketing results and return on investment in 2024.[31]
Branding in the freight industry
- 14% of global logistics brand value came from China in 2026, equal to $30.6 billion.[34]
- SBB scored 95.2 out of 100 on Brand Finance’s logistics Brand Strength Index in 2026.[34]
- In 2025, the top 25 global logistics brands had a combined brand value of $168 billion.[34]
- $216.8 billion was the combined brand value of the global logistics sector in 2026.[34]
Operations & Execution
Process optimization in the freight industry
- 26% of logistics service providers said optimized planning across modes would deliver the greatest TMS value over the next two years in 2026.[2]
- 13% of logistics service providers described their transportation operations as fully automated with AI in 2026.[2]
- 38.1% of logistics and transportation companies were using or implementing predictive and optimization technologies for improved forecasting in 2024.[5]
- 35% of freight forwarders reported that 51% to 75% of their business processes and transactions were digitized in November 2024.[7]
Operational efficiency in the freight industry
- 35% of shippers still relied on spreadsheets or post-delivery emails for shipment visibility in 2026.[2]
- 52% of shippers used real-time GPS or electronic logging device tracking for shipment visibility in 2026.[2]
- 25% of logistics service providers identified freight cost management as their biggest transportation challenge in 2026.[2]
- 60.3% of logistics and transportation companies reported reduced operational costs after technology adoption in 2024.[5]
Quality management in the freight industry
- 38% of shippers considered 95% on-time delivery performance acceptable in 2024.[36]
- 97% of Ireland’s reported domestic freight services were punctual in 2022.[37]
- 56% of domestic freight services in the EU27 were punctual in 2022.[37]
- 74% of shippers said service was more important than price when selecting a 3PL in 2024.[20]
Supply chain in the freight industry
- 79% of global organizations increased supply-chain investment in Blue Yonder’s 2024 executive survey.[38]
- 31% of delayed global shipping capacity was attributed to the Mediterranean Sea and Middle East in the twelve months through May 2024.[39]
- 80% of global organizations had piloted or implemented generative AI in supply chains in 2024.[38]
- 25.7% of EU freight transport performance was road transport in 2024, measured in tonne-kilometres.[40]
Finance & Pricing
Pricing strategy in the freight industry
- 38% of freight procurement professionals used tactical bids for truckload carrier contracting in 2025.[41]
- $0.47 per mile was the average fuel surcharge reported by owner-operators in 2024.[42]
- 39% of freight forwarders selected freight pricing and quoting as an AI implementation or planned-implementation area in a November 2024 survey.[7]
- 52% of owner-operators said they could include a fuel surcharge in their freight rate in 2024.[42]
Cost reduction in the freight industry
- 54% of logistics companies prioritized warehouse optimization as a cost-saving strategy in 2025.[43]
- 21% of logistics companies planned to use alternative transport modes to manage costs in 2025.[43]
- $2.26 per mile was the average U.S. for-hire trucking operating cost in 2024.[18]
- 1.5% was the trailing-year reduction in consolidated truckload cost per mile reported through June 2025.[44]
Profitability in the freight industry
- $1.77 per mile was the estimated U.S. dry-van breakeven operating cost for small carriers in November 2024.[45]
- $0.01 per mile was the estimated gross profit for a small dry-van carrier in November 2024.[45]
- 80% of owner-operators said they knew their operating costs in 2024.[42]
- $0.26 more per mile was earned on average by owner-operators who knew their operating costs compared with those who did not in 2024.[42]
Financial planning in the freight industry
- 55% of freight forwarders and customs brokers identified AI as a leading target of IT investment in 2025.[46]
- 13% was the average share of tractors that fleets expected to replace in 2026.[47]
- 63% of freight forwarders and customs brokers identified technology investment as their primary response to industry change in 2025.[46]
- 196 transportation procurement events were analyzed across 13 shipper companies in the truckload-budgeting study.[48]
Product & Service
Product development in the freight industry
- 18% of shippers identified procurement and bid management as a transportation-management capability delivering the greatest value in the next two years in 2026.[2]
- 34% of shippers and 26% of logistics service providers identified optimized planning across modes as a transportation-management capability delivering the greatest value over the next two years in 2026.[2]
- 29% of logistics service providers identified real-time visibility as a transportation-management capability delivering the greatest value in the next two years in 2026.[2]
- 21% of logistics service providers identified automation reducing manual intervention as a transportation-management capability delivering the greatest value in the next two years in 2026.[2]
Product lifecycle in the freight industry
- 4.4 years was the average age of heavy-duty equipment in the private U.S. fleets surveyed in 2026.[49]
- 30% of surveyed commercial-vehicle fleets were in the normal replacement-age range above 10 years in 2023, up from about 15% in 2022.[50]
- 3.8 years was the average age of truck-tractors in the surveyed U.S. trucking fleets in 2023.[51]
- 7.5 years was the average replacement cycle for truck-tractors in the U.S. trucking fleets surveyed for 2023.[51]
After-sales in the freight industry
- 94% of shippers said customer experience was important when assessing their logistics operations in the cited freight study.[23]
- 66% of logistics customer-service teams said they would track the number of responses required to resolve an inquiry if they could in 2023.[17]
- 65% of logistics customer-service teams said they would track customer-satisfaction scores if they could in 2023.[17]
- Customer satisfaction was rated the most important customer-service KPI by surveyed supply-chain professionals in 2024.[52]
Value proposition in the freight industry
- 54% of shippers and 59% of logistics service providers described transportation as a customer-service differentiator in 2026.[2]
- 32% of U.S. transportation organizations viewed transportation as a competitive weapon in 2026, compared with 15% that viewed it as a customer-service differentiator.[2]
- 95% of shippers said their 3PL relationships were generally successful in the 2024 third-party logistics study.[53]
- 99% of 3PLs said their shipper relationships were successful in the 2024 third-party logistics study.[53]
Data & Analytics
Business intelligence in the freight industry
- 29% of respondents identified sustainability reporting and planning as an important transportation-management-system capability in 2025.[2]
- 58% of freight operators replacing systems cited missing functionality needed to run the business as a driver of change in 2026.[54]
- 44% of transportation companies shared transportation information with supply-chain operations in 2025.[2]
- 42% of freight operators replacing systems cited business growth outgrowing their current system as a driver of change in 2026.[54]
Data analytics in the freight industry
- 51% of logistics service providers used AI for real-time visibility or tracking in 2026.[2]
- 46% of logistics service providers reported freight-cost reduction as a realized benefit from AI in transportation in 2026.[2]
- 39% of carriers and logistics service providers used AI-enabled tools for real-time tracking in 2026.[55]
- 55% of shippers reported administrative or labor-cost reductions as a realized benefit from AI in transportation in 2026.[2]
KPIs in the freight industry
- 45% of organizations used carrier or broker web portals for shipment-status information in 2025.[2]
- 56% of freight shippers considered on-time pickup and on-time delivery equally important in 2024.[36]
- 41% of carriers expected on-time delivery performance of 96% or better in 2024.[36]
- 11% of freight shippers considered on-time pickup more important than on-time delivery in 2024.[36]
Sustainability & Ethics
Sustainability in the freight industry
- 15% of shippers and 13% of logistics service providers ranked improving sustainability among their top transportation priorities for the next two years in 2026.[2]
- 29% of transportation organizations identified sustainability reporting and planning as an important transportation-management-system capability in 2025.[2]
ESG in the freight industry
- 79.8% of DHL’s Scope 3 greenhouse-gas data used secondary data in 2024, globally.[11]
- 23.4% of U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions from transportation came from medium- and heavy-duty trucks in 2023.[56]
- 2.4% of U.S. transportation greenhouse-gas emissions came from ships and boats in 2023.[56]
- 43% of DHL’s electricity-generation attribute certificates were purchased as unbundled certificates in 2024, globally.[11]
Ethics in the freight industry
- 39.9% of U.S. motor-carrier cargo-theft incidents were pilferage in 2023.[57]
- $521,135 was the average annual value of cargo stolen from surveyed U.S. motor carriers in 2023.[57]
- $95,351 was the average loss per cargo-theft incident for surveyed U.S. logistics service providers in 2023.[57]
- 56% of logistics service providers used AI for fraud detection in transportation in 2026.[2]
CSR in the freight industry
- 19.4% of U.S. motor-carrier cargo thefts occurred at other overnight parking locations in 2023.[57]
- 5.7% of U.S. logistics-service-provider cargo thefts occurred at other overnight parking locations in 2023.[57]
- 12.1% of U.S. logistics-service-provider cargo thefts occurred at the provider’s own terminal in 2023.[57]
- 56.3% of surveyed U.S. motor carriers reported all cargo-theft incidents to insurers in 2023.[57]
Circular economy in the freight industry
- Approximately 3 million tonnes of recycled materials were transported by Finnish lorries annually in recent years through 2021.[58]
- Approximately 1 million tonnes of return packages were transported annually in Finland in recent years through 2021.[58]
- More than 1 million tonnes of recycled materials were transported by Finnish lorries in 2019.[58]
- The average transport distance for recycled materials and return packages in Finland increased steadily from 2014 through 2021.[58]
Carbon footprint in the freight industry
- 481 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per euro of revenue was DHL’s location-based greenhouse-gas intensity in 2024, globally.[11]
- 717,000 metric tons of biogenic carbon dioxide emissions were generated by DHL in 2024.[11]
- 472 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per euro of revenue was DHL’s market-based greenhouse-gas intensity in 2024, globally.[11]
- 6.7% was the decrease in DHL’s market-based Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse-gas emissions in 2024.[11]
Risk, Compliance & Legal
Compliance in the freight industry
- 7,325 shipments were stopped for forced-labor concerns by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in fiscal year 2025, United States.[59]
- $124,070 in civil penalties were assessed in freight-forwarder enforcement cases closed by FMCSA in fiscal year 2025, United States.[60]
- 27,522 intellectual-property-rights seizures were recorded by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in fiscal year 2026, United States.[61]
- $256.2 million was collected from importer audits by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in fiscal year 2026, United States.[61]
Governance in the freight industry
- 92% of UPS director nominees were independent in 2024, United States.[62]
- 26% of UPS senior- and middle-management positions were held by women in 2024, United States.[63]
- 33% of UPS executive-leadership-team members were women in 2024, United States.[63]
- 38% of UPS entry-level management positions were held by women in 2024, United States.[63]
Globalization & Expansion
Globalization in the freight industry
Cultural adaptation in the freight industry
- 5% of U.S. DHL customers identified cultural and language differences as a challenge to expanding internationally in 2025.[3]
- 28% of U.S. DHL customers identified market competition as a challenge to expanding internationally in 2025.[3]
- 24% of U.S. DHL customers said consumer product interest by international market would help accelerate international reach in 2025.[3]
- 67% of U.S. DHL customers identified trade-policy or tariff changes as a challenge to expanding internationally in 2025.[3]
Supplier management in the freight industry
- 69% of shippers said their 3PL partners could solve specific needs and challenges in 2025.[53]
- 94% of 3PLs said their relationships with shippers were generally successful in 2025.[53]
- 88% of 3PLs said they provided new and innovative ways to improve logistics effectiveness in 2025.[53]
- 68% of 3PLs said shippers were consolidating the number of 3PL partners used in 2025.[53]
Stakeholder management in the freight industry
- 91% of state transportation agencies represented carriers on freight stakeholder groups in the FHWA survey.[66]
- 83% of metropolitan planning organizations represented carriers on freight stakeholder groups in the FHWA survey.[66]
- 37% of freight forwarders and customs brokers said customers wanting more real-time data would significantly affect their business over the next five years.[67]
- 73% of state transportation agencies represented shippers on freight stakeholder groups in the FHWA survey.[66]
Distribution channels in the freight industry
- 69% of merchants handled warehousing and inventory storage in-house in ShipStation’s 2026 global survey.[68]
- 24.8% of international trade value in IATA’s 47-country sample moved by air in 2024.[69]
- 6.9 billion parcels were handled by USPS in the United States in 2024.[70]
- 73% of merchants handled order fulfillment in-house in ShipStation’s 2026 global survey.[68]
Strategy & Growth
Growth in the freight industry
- 33% of freight forwarders and customs brokers named tailored services their top competitive advantage in the 2025 benchmark study.[2]
- 13.5% was Maersk Terminals' return on invested capital in 2024 as the company expanded terminal infrastructure and pursued integrated logistics growth.[15]
- 102% was the 2025 increase in Maersk Transport Services quarterly revenue, which reached $1.9 billion in the fourth quarter.[71]
- $54.0 billion was Maersk's full-year revenue in 2025, compared with $55.5 billion in 2024, as the group pursued integrated ocean, terminal and logistics growth.[71]
Differentiation in the freight industry
- 31% of freight forwarders and customs brokers identified high service as their leading competitive advantage in 2025.[2]
- 33% of freight forwarders and customs brokers identified tailored services as their leading competitive advantage in 2025.[2]
- 43% of logistics service providers identified full-truckload as the freight mode most needing better real-time visibility in the 2026 Descartes study.[2]
- 55% was the initial capacity increase at Brazil's Suape Port Complex after Maersk's new greenfield terminal began operations in 2026.[15]
Mergers and acquisitions in the freight industry
- 1,150 global transportation and logistics M&A deals closed in 2025, down 21.7% from nearly 1,800 deals in 2021.[72]
- 6 acquisitions were recorded for Stord in the 3PL M&A Tracker, the highest total among listed companies through the tracker period.[73]
- 4 acquisitions were recorded for Descartes Systems Group in the 3PL M&A Tracker through 2025.[73]
- 44.0% of global transportation and logistics M&A transaction volume occurred in Europe in 2024.[74]
Strategic partnerships in the freight industry
- 87 unique ports were covered by the Gemini Cooperation network in 2025.[75]
- 29 mainline services were included in the Gemini Cooperation's 2025 network.[75]
- 70% of U.S. liner trade was covered by the three major container alliances in 2025, according to the Federal Maritime Commission.[76]
- 28 inter-regional shuttle services were included in the Gemini Cooperation's 2025 network.[75]
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Freight Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/freight-industry-statistics
Catherine Wu. "Freight Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/freight-industry-statistics.
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Freight Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/freight-industry-statistics.
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Social media in the freight industry