PPB January 2019

by Audrey Sellers Tr anspo r t a t i on & Sh i pp i ng F reight transportation, one of the world’s largest industries, is trucking right along. All modes of transport (air, water, rail, pipeline and trucking) comprise an industry that’s worth more than $1 trillion, according to Plunkett Research. Trucking makes up nearly 80 percent of this total. Each year, the trucking industry hauls more than 10 billion tons of freight, accounting for more than two-thirds of the United States’ total freight tonnage. Despite rising as a multibillion-dollar industry (trucking generated more than $700 billion in revenue in 2017, according to the American Trucking Associations, or ATA), the industry struggles with a growing problem: a declining number of qualified drivers. As experienced workers retire and the demand for freight transportation increases, the trucking industry faces a staggering shortage. The industry is already short 50,000 truck drivers, which is impacting businesses and consumers alike. Over the next decade, the ATA estimates the industry will need 898,000 more drivers to keep up with growth and demand. In a tight labor market, trucking companies can use promotional products to steer their recruitment and retention efforts and land the drivers they desperately need. Trucking companies can also use promotional items to get more mileage out of their marketing campaigns. Freight transportation remains crucial to the global economy and supply chain. Promotional products can help trucking companies overcome obstacles and stay on a path of profitability. Driving Growth Opportunities abound for transportation companies to go the extra mile with promotional products. GROW 54 | JANUARY 2019 |