The American Trucking Associations released the latest edition of its look ahead at the future of freight: ATA U.S. Freight Transportation Forecast to 2025, which shows continued growth for not just the trucking industry, but for the freight economy overall.
According to Forecast, a collaboration between ATA and IHS Global Insight, overall freight tonnage will grow 23.5 percent from 2013 to 2025 and freight revenues will surge 72 percent.
“We continue to see growth for the entire freight economy – but we also see that trucking will maintain its position as the nation’s dominant mode of freight transportation,” ATA Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Bob Costello.
The findings in this edition include:
- Trucking’s share of freight tonnage will grow from 69.1 percent in 2013 to 71.4 percent in 2025;
- Truckload volume will grow 3.5 percent a year through 2019, then 1.2 percent annually from 2020 to 2025 – however, truckload carriers will make greater use of intermodal rail for intermediate- and long-distance hauls.
- Rail intermodal tonnage will grow 5.5 percent annually through 2019 and 5.1 percent a year through 2025.
- Railroad market share will, however, shrink from 14.5 percent of all tonnage in 2013 to 13.8 percent in 2025.
- Regional breakdowns of where freight moves in the U.S.
