The 10 biggest trucking companies in the world are the unsung heroes of our modern day world. Logistics nowadays, or put simply – the flow of things from point A to point B – is a booming, complex business which slowly grows larger and more influential. After all, we are getting more and more used to sitting in our comfortable chairs while the men and women of these companies you are about to see put hard work, sweat and fuel in getting your newest appliance, gadget, toy or anything you might have ordered, from a thousand miles away. You, however, are far from the main focus point of these companies, given that virtually every business depends on the input of raw material and output of goods which may or may not depend on one of these trucking giants.
While in the past the delivery of goods mainly employed horse-drawn vehicles on land and ships across water, railroads became available and widespread which helped the global economy move faster and make bigger shifts. The invention of the internal combustion engine and the automobile, however, had a far more dramatic impact on the economy since the development of this new sort of vehicle made it able to go faster, restricted in its reach by nothing less than very rough terrain. People didn’t have to rely on animals or railroad companies to ship out their goods anymore, they could do it themselves with the convenience of their own truck or hire someone to do it for them with the same efficiency. Bigger transport vehicles first saw extensive use in military logistics in the first World War. The eighteen wheelers that we know today came at a little bit later point in history.
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Earlier on, however unbelievable it might be for many of us, long distance trucking happened without AC, GPS, WiFi and other particularly pleasant features which we supposedly cannot do without today. Nowadays, however, in the cabin of any self-respecting trucker you can find a full set-up, including various threateningly complex knobs and buttons. Even so, this often does not go without a TV, perhaps, a resting area and various other luxuries one can afford to fit in a machine of that size. All of these are necessary on long distance travels since a driver can spend their whole day moving towards the set destination. Albeit some of these not being some of the biggest transport companies globally, they sure have it all. From the people who drive, to the people who make the big decisions, check out our list of the 10 biggest trucking companies in the world below, and if you’re interested, our list of the 10 biggest logistic companies in the world to give you more insight into the workings of these world known companies.
The ranking is based on the biggest transport companies in the world according to JOC.com with only those of them which specialize in trucking or have a trucking operation of considerable size have been listed in their order of appearance.
10. Canadian National
Canadian National started out as a railway company and continues to be one. However, it has expanded its reach to also be among the most prolific trucking service providers in the country, hiring a portion of the over two hundred thousand truckers in the country.
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9. SNCF Geodis
SNCF Geodis (now known as SNCF Logistics) started out as a French railway company but went on to become one of the biggest transportation providers in the world. Geodis is the name under which all of the company’s transportation services are held, including close to half a million trucking operations every year.
8. Yamato Transport
Yamato Transport is a household name in Japan, where it is the biggest door-to-door delivery service. Sentimentally referred to as “Kuro Neko”, regarding the black cat carrying a kitten on its logo, Yamato Transport utilizes multiple types of trucks from the most discreet to the most impressive.
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7. Nippon Express
Yamato Transport’s biggest rival is Nippon Express, a company that had its humble beginnings in the first half of the last century. Nowadays, though, the company seems to have left this time far behind, having operations in about forty countries worldwide.
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6. CMA CGM
CMA CGM might not seems like a company featured on the list of the 10 biggest trucking companies in the world. However, the ocean shipping giant has expanded its network to include door-to-door trucking services on every populated continent.
5. DB Schenker
DB Schenker is the transport subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, cradling all the latter’s transportation services, including running a small number of steam locomotives in the UK.
4. Maersk Group
Maersk is a company which doesn’t get much attention, despite being involved in numerous types of industry and being the biggest container ship and supply vessel operator in the world for a good couple of decades. Aside from that, Maersk runs a trucking network that takes the fourth spot on this list.
3. FedEx
We all know and have heard of FedEx, seen it in movies and heard it in songs and there is a good reason for that. Starting out as Federal Express, FedEx is one of the leaders in global courier services.
2. UPS
UPS takes the second spot on this list without a hint of doubt. Despite being the biggest package delivery service in the world with millions of parcels per day, UPS only makes the second spot.
1. DHL
DHL, on the other hand, takes the crown among the 10 biggest trucking companies in the world. DHL is the biggest logistics company in the world, be it on land, air or water.
