Freight transport market seen topping $68 billion by 2030

The Business Research Company says the global freight transport market is set to exceed $68 billion by 2030 as e-commerce, international trade and digital logistics tools accelerate demand. Asia-Pacific and the U.S. are expected to lead growth, while the market remains highly fragmented despite rising consolidation pressure.

Why it matters: - Freight transport sits at the center of global supply chains, moving goods across road, rail, sea and air. - The market’s projected growth signals more demand for logistics capacity, digital shipment tracking, and faster cross-border delivery. - Strong expansion in freight transport also matters for retailers, manufacturers, logistics providers and infrastructure investors.

What happened: - The Business Research Company projected the freight transport market will surpass $68 billion by 2030. - The report said the market is growing at a 12% compound annual growth rate through 2030. - Asia-Pacific is forecast to be the largest regional market by 2030 at $25 billion, up from $13 billion in 2025. - The U.S. is expected to be the largest country market in 2030 at $15 billion, up from $9 billion in 2025. - Services are projected to account for 64% of the market in 2030, or about $43 billion.

The details: - Freight transport is part of the broader Truck Transport industry, which is expected to reach about $3,297 billion by 2030. - Freight transport is also a small slice of the broader Transport Services sector, which is forecast to hit $12,477 billion by 2030. - The market is split into solutions and services. - The report divides transport modes into railways, roadways, seaways and airways. - The report lists retail and e-commerce, automotive, aerospace, pharmaceuticals and energy as major industry verticals. - The report said e-commerce and international trade are lifting freight volumes across domestic and global supply chains. - Digital logistics tools including AI, IoT, GPS tracking, transport and warehouse management systems, and real-time shipment monitoring are improving route planning, fleet use, visibility and cost control. - Infrastructure spending on highways, ports, rail corridors, airports and multimodal hubs is adding capacity. - Logistics outsourcing to third-party providers is helping companies lower capital spending and increase flexibility. - Deutsche Post DHL was the global leader in freight transport sales in 2025 with a 1% market share. - The top 10 companies together held only 6% of the market in 2025, underscoring how fragmented the sector remains. - Top 2025 players by revenue share included United Parcel Service of America, FedEx, DSV, Kuehne + Nagel, Nippon Express, CEVA Logistics, Geodis, CJ Logistics and Expeditors. - The report said autonomous freight technology is becoming a bigger part of the sector. - In March 2024, Plus collaborated with Scania, MAN and Navistar, part of TRATON Group, to accelerate SAE Level 4 autonomous freight trucks using the SuperDrive platform. - The company’s latest 2026 market reports include market attractiveness scoring, TAM analysis, company scoring matrices, Excel forecasting dashboards, hotspot infographics and updated graphics. - The Business Research Company said it has published more than 30,000 reports across 27 industries and 60 geographies. - The firm said its research is powered by 1,500,000 datasets, secondary research and interviews with industry leaders.

Between the lines: - The market looks likely to stay fragmented even as freight demand rises, which suggests competition will remain broad and localized. - Growth appears to be coming from both volume expansion and productivity upgrades, not just from higher shipping rates. - Autonomous trucks and digital freight platforms point to a race for efficiency, visibility and reliability rather than simple capacity expansion. - The strongest gains may go to firms that can combine multimodal networks, technology and cross-border reach.

What's next: - The report expects services and solutions to add more than $29 billion in combined market value by 2030. - Services are forecast to add $19 billion, while solutions are expected to add $10 billion between 2025 and 2030. - Further adoption of intelligent freight management, multimodal transport systems, automated logistics and predictive analytics is likely to shape the next phase of growth. - Cross-border trade, e-commerce logistics and supply chain resilience are likely to keep pushing carriers toward partnerships and digital investment.

The bottom line: - Freight transport is moving into a bigger, more tech-driven growth cycle, with Asia-Pacific and the U.S. leading the next leg of expansion.