Transportation TIP List: This Week’s Leading Transportation Industry Trends

Week of February 19^th, 2017

The celebration of President’s Day this week was the perfect time to recognize the country’s most inspirational leaders. And the holiday had us thinking about the nation’s top visionaries as we curated this week’s TIP List, which showcases trends that are influencing and shaping the transportation industry. Read on to see what’s leading the way, including stories about the future of retail brick and mortar stores, the growth of drone technology and the uncertainty of NAFTA.

• Delivery Drones Less Than 1% of Commercial Market By 2020: Production of drones for commercial and personal use is growing rapidly, with global market revenue expected to increase 34%, reaching more than $6 billion in 2017, and grow to more than $11.2 billion by 2020.

• What if Retail Traffic Declines Last Forever?: The results keep pouring in, and they don’t bode well for brick and mortar retail. Across just about every sector and virtually every time period, physical store traffic continues to decline.

• Mexican Trucking Past U.S. Border in Crosshairs: A controversial NAFTA plank allowing Mexican truckers to haul goods deep into the U.S. is in the crosshairs as the Trump administration prepares to redo the trade agreement and a court challenge proceeds next month.

• Making a Run for the Border: Although the future of NAFTA is uncertain and trade challenges remain, Mexico continues to attract foreign companies looking for easier access to the huge U.S. consumer base.

• Panama Canal Sets New Monthly Tonnage Record: In January 2017, the Panama Canal set a new monthly tonnage record of 36.1 million Panama Canal tons, with the transit of 1,260 ships through both the original and expanded locks.

• Hanjin Shipping is Declared Bankrupt: All that remains of the stricken Hanjin Shipping Co. will be liquidated after a court order confirmed the demise of the former giant that helped drive South Korea’s economic rise, but has finally succumbed to its ocean of debt.

• Top 10 Cities for Van, Reefer, Flatbed Freight in 2016: For the second year in a row, Atlanta was the top city for van and reefer spot truckload freight in 2016. Little Rock, Ark., also held its spot as the top city for flatbed spot freight.

What transportation trends do you think are leading the charge this week?