Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
1 / 20#20. Indiana
- Value of freight: $12.7 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 0.6%
Where are all these trucks headed? The top destinations for California freight.
In many parts of the country, you can't drive on an interstate without spotting a semitruck. But have you ever wondered where they are hauling all that stuff?
Truck Parking Club used Bureau of Transportation Statistics data to identify the top 20 destinations of freight from California as part of a broader national analysis. The analysis only includes domestic freight.
Most of the time, semis are headed somewhere within the same state. In all but one, the highest share of freight was delivered to other destinations within its own borders. The only exception was Rhode Island, which is the smallest U.S. state by area, leaving few possible in-state destinations for freight.
The average haul length has been decreasing for years as e-commerce—Amazon in particular—has normalized speedy and frequent deliveries. These days, regional warehouses and distribution centers are more widespread so trucks don't have to move goods as far to get them to local stores or individuals. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this trend, causing severe supply-chain disruptions, panic buying, and driving up online purchasing.
Nationally, Texas and California are the most common domestic freight destinations. These two states are major economic centers of the U.S. as the most populous in the nation with the largest state gross domestic product. Texas and California each offer huge consumer markets, major production centers, and abundant trade with international markets, making them obvious destinations for freight from across the country.
Trucks are the most prevalent shipping method in the U.S. and most commonly transport goods including construction materials, gas and oil, food and agricultural products, and waste. Read on to see where semitrucks in California are headed.
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2 / 20#19. Virginia
- Value of freight: $13.5 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 0.6%
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
3 / 20#18. Michigan
- Value of freight: $13.5 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 0.6%
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4 / 20#17. Tennessee
- Value of freight: $13.8 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 0.7%
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5 / 20#16. North Carolina
- Value of freight: $14.4 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 0.7%
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6 / 20#15. Colorado
- Value of freight: $17.2 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 0.8%
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7 / 20#14. Georgia
- Value of freight: $19.2 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 0.9%
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
8 / 20#13. Utah
- Value of freight: $21.8 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 1.0%
Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock
9 / 20#12. New Jersey
- Value of freight: $24.5 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 1.2%
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10 / 20#11. Pennsylvania
- Value of freight: $26.3 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 1.3%
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
11 / 20#10. New York
- Value of freight: $27.5 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 1.3%
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
12 / 20#9. Illinois
- Value of freight: $27.7 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 1.3%
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
13 / 20#8. Oregon
- Value of freight: $29.4 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 1.4%
Agnieszka Gaul // Shutterstock
14 / 20#7. Washington
- Value of freight: $36.2 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 1.7%
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15 / 20#6. Ohio
- Value of freight: $40.2 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 1.9%
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16 / 20#5. Florida
- Value of freight: $40.8 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 1.9%
randy andy // Shutterstock
17 / 20#4. Nevada
- Value of freight: $43.5 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 2.1%
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
18 / 20#3. Arizona
- Value of freight: $47.8 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 2.3%
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
19 / 20#2. Texas
- Value of freight: $75.8 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 3.6%
Marek Masik // Shutterstock
20 / 20#1. California
- Value of freight: $1387.2 billion
- Share of domestic freight originating in California: 65.9%
This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states and Washington D.C.
