Kentucky Coverage Area

Shippers take advantage of Kentucky’s well-maintained transportation infrastructure — consisting of roads, rails, airports and waterways — for shipping domestic and international freight into or out of the state. With service centers located in Louisville, Lexington and Bowling Green, we offer transportation solutions regionally, nationally and internationally. Call 800-610-5544 for more information about available options.

Kentucky Profile

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a transportation haven with a thriving automobile manufacturing industry and an economy that has a strong focus on agriculture. Trucks traveling through the state can reach 65 percent of the U.S. population within a day’s drive, and because the state is bordered by the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, businesses have easy access to major domestic and global markets.

Economy Overview

Kentucky’s economy is derived from three major sectors: manufacturing, agriculture and mining. Manufacturing is the largest economic category, and has the largest impact, accounting for more than 17 percent of total output and employing more than 11 percent of the state’s workforce. Kentucky is the third-largest automobile-producing state in the country, with just under 500 automotive manufacturing facilities located around the state, supporting nearly 90,000 jobs. The state manufactured more than 1.3 million vehicles in 2015. Other important manufactured products made in the state include electrical equipment, food products, nonelectrical machinery, chemicals and apparel.

Agriculture’s Impact                  

Bourbon whiskey is the state’s top export and most important agricultural commodity. Kentucky produces 95 percent of the world’s bourbon supply, with makers filling nearly 2 million barrels a year. Kentucky is also known as a major center of the tobacco industry, and loose-leaf tobacco is the state’s premier crop. The breeding of thoroughbred racehorses is a major segment of the state’s agricultural output, while livestock, goats, cattle, corn, dairy products and soybeans are also important products farmed in the state. The total economic impact of agriculture in Kentucky totaled more than $45.6 billion in 2013, according to a 2015 study by the University of Kentucky Department of Agricultural Economics.

Other Industries

Kentucky is a leading mining state and coal is its most valuable commodity. Other mined products include natural gas, petroleum and limestone. The printing and publishing industry, and tourism, also have important roles in Kentucky’s economy.

Freight Shipping in Kentucky

Served by 78,000 miles of public roads, more than 1,200 miles of navigable water, more than 2,600 miles of railroad tracks and five commercial airports, Kentucky’s transportation and logistics network supports the movement of freight into national and global markets. The Kentucky transportation system has a variety of options to offer to businesses, and the state’s location puts shippers in close proximity to suppliers and consumers in major markets such as St. Louis, Chicago and Detroit, making it an enticing location for many businesses.  

Roads

Kentucky has 19 interstates and major highways, on which more than 31 percent of the state’s traffic travels. Nearly 275 million tons of freight move on Kentucky’s highways each week, according to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.

Water

With nearly 1,100 miles of commercially navigable waterways, the greatest length of navigable waterways in the country, water transportation plays a key role in Kentucky’s economy. With seven public water ports, including three of the largest in the country — the Port of Huntington-Tristate, the Ports of Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky, and the Port of Louisville-Southern Indiana — international shippers have a route to inland markets, to ports on the Gulf of Mexico, and to major ports on the east and west coasts.

Rail

Railroads serve Kentucky industries with more than 2,600 miles of track, including nearly 2,300 miles of Class I tracks — connecting the state to every point in the country. Freight rail is another critical element to the state’s economy, supporting the state’s automobile manufacturers, along with its thriving agriculture and mining sectors.

Air

Kentucky is home to two of the busiest and largest cargo delivery hubs in the world — Louisville International Airport and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Kentucky Airport — making the state a player in both domestic and global trade competition. Several air freight and parcel carriers have operations in Kentucky.