Truckload carriers are hugely important in all places in the United States when it comes to the transport of goods from one end of the country to the next. From machinery to electronics to food, truckload carriers are the main form of transport for goods, and the truckers who get them where they need to go are hugely instrumental in the success of many industries, from the agriculture industry to the e-commerce industry. The transportation industry that includes truckload carriers and specialty freight services is hugely important for the economy of the United States as well. In the year of 2015 alone, logistics and transportation in the United States made up nearly as much as ten percent of the GDP (gross domestic product) for the entirety of the country, totally nearly one and half trillion dollars.
Truckload carriers are particularly important for the industry of e-commerce, which has been growing steadily alongside the technology needed to easily access it. E-commerce has grown considerably, as online shopping has provided the convenience and ease of shopping, allowing people to make purchases that they need without ever even needing to leave the comfort of their homes. Many people have even made the switch to buying groceries online, something that would be unheard of even just ten to fifteen years ago. From articles of clothing to toys and books and even groceries, the demand for e-commerce and online shopping platforms has become immense. In fact, it is now worth more than four hundred billion dollars in the United States alone. In the next few coming years, this number is only anticipated to continue to increase.
LTL shipping is the form of shipping that is primarily used for e-commerce deliveries. LTL stands for less than truckload, and the LTL shipping definition means that trucks that are not full are sent on delivery runs. While this type of shipping was not as common in years past, the demand for it has grown more and more with the considerable uptick of e-commerce purchases. LTL shipping services allow packages that have been ordered online to be delivered in a timely and efficient manner. If they were not able to be delivered using LTL shipping and instead it was required for only full truckload carriers to be sent out, it would be much more difficult to get parcels on time as we have come to expect. Thanks in part to the growth of e-commerce shipping needs, LTL shipping now has a total value of around thirty five billion dollars.
Many other industries utilize truckload carriers for shipping purposes as well. Electronics are among one of the top things that are transported via truckload shipping, as well as mechanics and motorized vehicles such as cars of various makes, models, and sizes. There is a huge demand for truckload carriers, with more than twelve million trucks and other such vehicles used for transportation currently active in the United States today. There is a huge need for truck drivers in the United States, skilled truck drivers who are reliable and experienced on the road, who are able to get parcels, packages, and good to where they need to be in as timely a manner as is physically possible. The transportation network is busier than ever in all places in the United States, and it has become more important than it has ever been before. The transportation network has grown – and is consistently growing – with the subsequent growth of e-commerce and related purchases.