Trucks, trains, ships and planes are common transport modes that you might see regularly, but do you ever stop to think about what they are doing? Chances are they’re moving freight around the country or across the globe.
How much freight do companies in Australia move?
The amount of freight that is moved by freight companies across Australia is staggering.
Domestically, rail does the bulk of the heavy lifting in terms of tonnes moved by freight management services. During 2020-21, 453.1 billion tonne-kilometres* of freight was moved via rail. This was followed by road transport with 230.1 billion tonne-kilometres and shipping with 111.9 billion tonne-kilometres.
Air also plays an important role when it comes to moving freight across Australia, however, in terms of tonnes the numbers are relatively low. In 2020-21 air freight moved 0.3 tonne-kilometres.
What kind of cargo is being moved by freight management services?
While the four billion tonnes a year figure seems huge – and it is – it does include a lot of raw materials such as iron ore, bauxite, and coal.
What does the remainder of the four billion tonnes comprise of? While the list is long, it’s getting petrol to service stations, construction materials to sites, and essential pharmaceuticals to hospitals and chemists. It also includes getting fresh food to supermarkets.
Plus, it includes the clothing, shoes, tech, and other products that Australians are increasingly buying online. If Australian freight companies couldn’t get the goods to your door, then online shopping would grind to a halt!
Freight management services in Australia play a vital role in connecting consumers with the goods they need. Look around your home or in the office at the milk in the fridge, the computer on your desk, the television in your lounge room, the car in your garage, and virtually anything else that is in and around your home or office. At some stage, it was moved by a freight company.
Economic significance
While getting food on your table or computers and stationery to your office are important for you, freight management services also have a significant economic impact in Australia.
For example:
The freight and logistics industry is one of the largest revenue-generating sectors in Australia
The road freight industry alone employs nearly 200,000 Australians
The nine largest rail freight businesses contribute more than $11 billion to the national economy each year and employ almost 20,000 Australians[1]
Northline, Australia’s Global Logistics People
When it comes to the transport, storage, tracking, and delivery of freight by road, rail, sea, and air, you can rely on Northline.
Founded in 1983 to service remote communities in Northern Australia, today Northline has an industry-leading national network, with 18 depots across the country and an international reach into more than 100 countries.
