Transportation, Supply Chain & Logistics Industry Market Research

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Transportation, Supply Chain & Logistics OVERVIEW

Transportation is one of the world’s largest industries.  Its sectors range from taxis to trucks, airplanes, trains, courier services, ships, barges, warehouses and logistics/supply chain services.  To a growing extent, it now includes the use of robotics and artificial intelligence in terms of self-driving cars and trucks, and eventually may include a significant level of robotic delivery vehicles.  Robotics are already providing a high level of automation in ports and warehouses, while artificial intelligence is also being applied widely to the supply chain.  In 2022, Plunkett Research estimated global transportation sector revenues of $5.4 trillion.
The Coronavirus pandemic had a significant effect on the entire transportation and supply chain sector worldwide.  Among the hardest hit sectors was the airline industry, due to plummeting passenger ticket sales.  Logistics, supply chain, shipping and railroads have been affected in varying ways, depending on which of their customers you are considering.  Ecommerce has been booming, as online firms like Amazon became the preferred places for many consumers to shop.  This means that local delivery services, ecommerce warehouses and many other types of transportation services that support ecommerce are booming.
At about 6% of global economic activity (GDP), transportation’s core sectors add up to a remarkably efficient industry, considering the fact that transportation is a vital service to nearly every other sector of the economy.  In fact, thanks to increasing use of advanced information systems and such strategies as intermodal containers (sending freight via containers that are easily transferred from ship to rail car to truck as needed, without repacking), the transportation industry’s productivity has been high.
Over recent years, globalization and international trade placed intense new demands on the transportation and supply chain sector.  FedEx, for example, provides a wide variety of freight and package delivery services in virtually every nation in the world. 
All nations worldwide face a daunting task in maintaining airports, seaports, highways and railroads that can handle commerce and passenger traffic efficiently.  The amount of government funds available for roadway development is never enough to keep up with long-term needs. 
China had only about 200 kilometers of expressways in 1989.  Today, it has a massive system of state-of-the-art highways surrounding the nation’s largest cities, in addition to a vast system of new high speed railroads and hundreds of new airports.  
India, one of the world’s most populous nations, is woefully behind in transportation infrastructure, especially highways, but it has hopes to dramatically boost construction in this regard, with some funding hoped to come from partnerships between public and private entities.  Other developing nations, including Brazil, need to place more focus on infrastructure development as well, including highways, ports and airports.  For example, it’s difficult and inefficient for farmers in such nations to get their produce to market without good highways, as well as refrigerated trucks and warehouses.  It is also difficult for manufacturing to prosper if ports, warehouses and highways are inadequate.
Business and technology trends have driven immense changes in the transportation sector over the past three decades.  The information age, with its introduction of sophisticated databases that can track inventory levels and shipments on a global basis via the internet, has created vast transport and logistics efficiencies.  As a result, supply chain technology has been one of the fastest-growing segments in the information field.
Mobile apps are also bringing transportation bookings and management directly to the smartphone.  For example, Uber and Didi famously enable individual passengers in nations around the world to request transportation, tailored to their specific needs, to be delivered rapidly.  This business model is spilling over into services for local and long distance trucking.  The Uberization of the trucking industry will have profound effects, and is now in early stages, with many well-funded firms launching on-demand freight services.  Long-haul trucks that are partly self-driving will eventually revolutionize this segment.
Next, the rapid adoption of outsourcing has led many companies to turn to logistics services providers for all manner of shipping support, including warehousing, scheduling and distribution services.  In many cases, outsourced supply chain services provide just-in-time delivery of vital manufacturing components or replacement parts, eliminating the need for costly on-site warehouses filled with expensive inventory.  (These services are sometimes described broadly as “3PL” for Third Party Logistics.)  The sectors of transport, supply chain management and logistics services are permanently intertwined, creating efficiencies once undreamed of in the transportation arena.
One of the biggest challenges facing the global transportation sector over the mid- to long-term is a focus on lowering carbon emissions and enhancing energy efficiency.  Airlines have placed immense orders for fuel-efficient jets like Boeing’s new 787, which provides fuel efficiency gains of about 20% per passenger mile, as well as engines that are quieter and burn fuel in a cleaner manner.  Sea-going ship operators are under intense pressure to reduce contamination and emissions while in port and at sea, and the latest designs, such as Maersk’s massive new Triple-E class of ships, are making huge strides in this regard.  
Additional developments in transportation include the use of natural gas or electricity to fuel public transportation, such as buses, as well as the development of energy-efficient light rail. 
Meanwhile, consumers and government transportation agencies worldwide have a renewed interest in light rail, high speed trains and other forms of rapid transit.  Elon Musk’s “Boring Company” is attempting to revolutionize the construction of tunnels for roadways and railways. Trains in many parts of the world are enjoying booming times, particularly in China, as well as parts of Africa and Europe.  Over the long term, public transit ridership may get a boost in major cities due to several factors, including traffic congestion and costs of private car ownership, as well as the launch of recent light rail (such as the system in Denver, Colorado) and subway systems (such as new projects in New Delhi and Mumbai, India).  The largest, most congested cities are experimenting with new types of fees for cars and trucks on the most highly traveled, inner city roads.  This practice, sometimes referred to as “congestion pricing” has already been tried in London.  The point is to reduce vehicle traffic while raising funds for public transit or road maintenance.
Another massive change is the growing interest of governments in outsourcing their transportation infrastructure to private operators and private ownership, often in public-private partnerships.  Governments are short of cash.  In some cases, they are selling or leasing toll bridges and highways to private operators, reaping cash windfalls in the process.  Elsewhere, governments are outsourcing their long-term highway development needs to private operators who build new toll roads, relieving governments of the investment burden while potentially creating large profits for the private operators.  The results from this trend are mixed, as there is sometimes consumer resistance to paying relatively high tolls for highway use.

WE PROFILE HUNDREDS OF TOP COMPANIES:

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PLUNKETT PROVIDES IN-DEPTH STATISTICS TABLES COVERING THE FOLLOWING INDUSTRY TOPICS:

Top Companies Profiled

The following is a partial listing for this industry. As a subscriber, you will have access to the leading companies and top growth companies. This includes publicly-held, private, subsidiary and joint venture companies, on a global basis as well as in the U.S.


Hundreds of Top Companies Profiled, Including:

PLUNKETT PROVIDES UNIQUE ANALYSIS OF THE FOLLOWING TRENDS THAT ARE DRIVING THIS INDUSTRY:

Key Findings:

  • Plunkett Research analyzes the top trends changing the industry, and provides in-depth industry statistics. In addition, this publication profiles the top 500 companies in the Transportation, Supply Chain & Logistics Industry.

Available Formats:

  • Printed Almanac: ISBN 978-1-62831-620-9 (Available Now)
  • E-book: ISBN 978-1-62831-953-8 (Available Now)
  • Plunkett Research Online (Subscribers)

Key Features Include:

  • Industry trends analysis, market data and competitive intelligence
  • Market forecasts and Industry Statistics
  • Industry Associations and Professional Societies List
  • In-Depth Profiles of hundreds of leading companies
  • Industry Glossary

Pages: 672

Statistical Tables Provided: 11

Companies Profiled: 503

Geographic Focus: Global

Price: $379.99

Key Questions Answered Include:

  • How is the industry evolving?
  • How is the industry being shaped by new technologies?
  • How is demand growing in emerging markets and mature economies?
  • What is the size of the market now and in the future?
  • What are the financial results of the leading companies?
  • What are the names and titles of top executives?
  • What are the top companies and what are their revenues?

This feature-rich book covers competitive intelligence, market research and business analysis—everything you need to know about the Transportation, Supply Chain & Logistics business including:

  1. Introduction to the Transportation, Supply Chain & Logistics Industry
  2. Coronavirus Effects: Supply Chains are in Crisis Mode/Massive Shortages of Workers and Services/Airlines Attempting to Recover
  3. 3PL Logistics Services and Supply Chain Management Services Soar
  4. FedEx, UPS & DHL Compete in Global Shipping and Logistics/Amazon.com Begins to Fulfill its Own Shipping Needs
  5. Trucking Companies Focus on Driver Challenges, Regulatory Issues & Self-Driving Trucks
  6. Freight Railways Invest in Automation, Infrastructure and Safety
  7. China Makes Immense Investments in Railroads, Highways, Airports & Silk Road
  8. High Speed Passenger Trains, Including Maglev, Advance in China and Europe
  9. U.S. Passenger Train Projects Receive Funding, Including Light Rail and All Aboard Florida
  10. Ships Get Bigger and More Efficient
  11. Ports and Canals Expand to Accommodate Larger Vessels and Increased Shipment Volume
  12. Discount Airlines Compete with Legacy Airlines, but the Differences Are Beginning to Blur
  13. Boeing and Airbus Compete for New Orders
  14. New Aircraft Designs Offer Greater Passenger Comfort/More Efficient Engines
  15. Airports Expand
  16. New Technologies Show Promise for Port and Airport Security
  17. RFID Drives Inventory Management Evolution
  18. Wireless Information Systems Surge Ahead in Vehicles: Telematics, ITS and Real Time Traffic Information
  19. India’s Transportation Infrastructure Needs Billions of Dollars in Construction
  20. Uber, Lyft and Didi Dominate the Car on Demand (Raid Hailing) Industry
  21. Self-Driving, Autonomous Cars Receive Massive Investments in Research and Development Worldwide
  22. Bicycle Sharing Grows in Major Cities, But Finances Are Challenging
  23. Smart Cities Utilize Sensors and Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Create Privacy and Security

Issues

  1. Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation Revolutionize Supply Chain and Logistics Systems
  2. The Future of Transportation and Supply Chains: Massive Investments in Infrastructure, Mobility Services and Hyperloop

Transportation, Supply Chain & Logistics Industry Statistics

  1. Transportation Industry Statistics and Market Size Overview
  2. U.S. Transportation & Warehousing Industry Revenues: 2017-2020
  3. U.S. Transportation & Warehousing Industry Expenses: 2017-2020
  4. Top 50 Countries Providing U.S. Imports: 2014-2021
  5. Top 50 Countries Receiving U.S. Exports: 2014-2021
  6. Top 10 U.S. Airlines & Airports Ranked by 2021 System Scheduled Enplanements
  7. Quarterly U.S. Scheduled Service Passenger Airlines Financial Reports: 3rd Quarter 2020-3rd Quarter 2021
  8. Total Scheduled U.S. International Passenger Traffic, U.S. Commercial Air Carriers: 2010-2041
  9. Air Carrier Traffic Statistics, U.S.: 1996-November 2021
  10. U.S. Airline Passenger Activity: 2010-2041
  11. Federal R&D & R&D Plant Funding for Transportation, U.S.: Fiscal Years 2019-2021

Companies Mentioned Include:

  • Toyota Motor Corporation
  • Volkswagen AG (VW)
  • Mercedes-Benz Group AG
  • Ford Motor Company
  • General Motors Company (GM)
  • Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW Group)
  • Stellantis NV
  • Hyundai Motor Company
  • Nissan Motor Co Ltd
  • United Parcel Service Inc (UPS)

Organizations that have used our research and products

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This industry onlyPublication date: Apr 2022
ISBN-13: 978-1-62831-953-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-62831-620-9
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