Introduction

Freight, which refers to the transportation of goods by various modes including trucks, trains, ships, and airplanes, is the foundation of the economy. It is essential for moving goods, facilitating trade, and driving growth.

In 2018, the U.S. transportation system moved a daily average of about 51 million tons of freight valued at nearly $52 billion. In 2022, Trucks carry 72.6% of all domestic freight by weight and 80.7% by value.

More goods transportation over longer distances means more energy consumption and environmental pollution, which has impacting the quality of life in cities and their sustainability.

What will happen in the future?
Let's explore together.

Current State Analysis

National Scale

To better understand the sustainability progress of U.S. freight and logistics, the current trends in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions related to freight transportation have been selected for depiction of the various impacts and trends over the past decade.

Energy Consumption by Freight Transportation Modes:
Analysing energy consumption trends in U.S. freight transportation, this graph showcases the substantial energy demand of trucking. It reinforces the necessity for energy-efficient practices and the adoption of green technologies to ensure sustainable logistics.

Below are the freight value details of some typical states in the United States:

This graph displays the total freight value in millions of dollars for each state in the United States during the year 2022. From the graph, we can observe that Texas, California, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania are the states with the highest freight values, indicating their significant roles in goods transportation within the country. This information is crucial for understanding the distribution and economic impact of freight activities across different regions. Based on these insights, a freight flow map was created for these top five states to further analyse and visualise their specific freight dynamics.

Policy and Trends

Based on the flow map, the states with the highest freight values will be the focus of our next examination. We will look into the policy changes in these top-performing states to understand how regulations and initiatives are influencing their economic activities related to freight and transportation. This analysis will help in identifying the impact of legislative adjustments on the logistics and supply chain sectors within these states.

Low emission zones and timed freight passes have been established, encouraging logistics companies to operate during off-peak hours. Big data and artificial intelligence used in delivery optimizing, reducing energy consumption. Logistics companies use real-time data analysis to predict market demand and adjust transportation plans in advance. Also, electric vehicles increasingly occupying the market.

Below are graphs with information about electric vehicles:

This graph shows the share of new cars sold in the United States that are electric, spanning from 2010 to 2023. From the graph, it's clear that electric vehicle (EV) sales have experienced significant growth, especially from 2021 onwards. This trend indicates a rapidly growing acceptance and adoption of electric vehicles in the U.S. market.

The figure above summarizes the path required from the current standard of 161 gCO2 per mile in 2026 to 85 gCO2 per mile in 2030 for the whole light duty fleet. As shown, in order to meet the fleet-wide target of 85 gCO2 per mile in 2030, manufacturers will have to reduce emissions by 6.8% annually from 2020 to 2026, and by 14.7% annually from 2026 to 2030. We estimate that efficiency improvements in gasoline vehicles will range from 3.5% to 4.4% annually and will only cover a portion of the required emission reductions. However, the acceleration of EV uptake to 50% of sales can make up the difference.

Future Projections

Looking into the future of U.S. freight transportation, the Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) database provides estimates of U.S. freight flows from 2020 to 2050, with values expressed in millions of 2017 constant dollars. As we project into the future up to 2050, it suggests a significant increase in the economic value of intrastate freight shipments across the United States. This growth is driven by a combination of factors, including economic expansion, increased domestic production, and advancements in logistics and freight technologies.

Trucking Dominance: Truck transportation consistently has the highest freight values, indicating its critical role in domestic freight movements.

Growing Pipeline Transport: There is a noticeable trend in the increasing freight value transported through pipelines, possibly reflecting the growing importance of energy transportation.

Variability in Modes: The dataset shows variability in the freight values of other transportation modes like rail, water, and air, suggesting shifting logistics and trade routes over time.

Projection Data: The dataset includes future projections, pointing to expectations of growth or changes in transportation needs and infrastructure development.

This data provides a comprehensive look at the evolution and projected future of freight transportation across various modes in the United States. It can be particularly useful for planning, policy-making, and investment decisions in infrastructure and transportation services.

Conclusion

The analysis of current state of sustainable logistics practices helps viewers understand the complexities and advancements in this field, showing that freight transport has a significant impact on sustainability.

Through the detailed examination of policies and trends, the project underscores the impact of governmental and regulatory actions on sustainable practices within freight and logistics. It highlights how past and present policies have shaped the industry and suggests how future legislative and regulatory frameworks can further influence sustainability in the sector. And electric vehicles are increasingly important.

The "future reveries" section indicates that truck transportation consistently has the highest freight values and volumes, so optimization of truck transportation and freight structure is important to sustainability. This section allows viewers to engage with speculative, forward-thinking scenarios, imagining how continued advancements and innovations might further transform the logistics and freight industry.

Overall, this project provides a multi-faceted view of how sustainability is being integrated into freight and logistics, offering valuable lessons, insights, and inspiration for a range of audiences from industry stakeholders to policymakers and the general public.