The Transportation of Goods

Photo by Nigel Tadyanehondo on Unsplash

The on-demand world we live in has had a major impact on the way goods are moved and transported to us. With companies like Amazon offering same-day delivery, goods have to be transported to consumers quickly and efficiently to ensure that these services are living up to their commitment to customers.

Since 1990, Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been reducing in growth in every economic sector except transportation and oil & gas. And this is primarily, because of the transportation of goods and services.

Although bad for the environment, the movement of these goods and services also have a significant impact on the way we travel and commute across our communities. Ever been stuck behind a couple freight trucks? We all know that frustrating feeling. Freight trucks take up a lot of room on our roads and highways, increasing congestion and reducing transportation times. And let’s not even get into how much oil these trucks use because right now we don’t have technology that enables trucks to run via any environmental-friendly fuel sources. Elon Musk has teased a Tesla truck in the near future, which could really be a game-changer in the industry.

I was at a networking event recently, where the keynote speaker was the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario and I was surprised to hear during her keynote that most transportation trucks that travel through our region are actually only half-filled to capacity. Which means we have way more trucks on the road than we should. The reasons for this are unknown to me but it’s almost the same issue as our single passenger vehicles, which have added to our congestion problem.

I’m not trying to wage a war against freight trucks because I’m a passionate online shopper and love my expedited shipping, but there has to be a better and efficient solution to balance the number of trucks on the road with the demand for moving goods. While Elon Musk’s Tesla truck may help reduce truck emissions it certainly won’t reduce the number of trucks on the road. The demand for the shipment of goods will just keep increasing as more people choose to shop online.

How do you feel about sacrificing your commute time for your Amazon same-day delivery? What are some ways we can help balance both these priorities?