Last week the Georgia Freight and Logistics Commission held its second meeting in Savannah to discuss the future of moving goods and cargo throughout Georgia and beyond.
Last week the Georgia Freight and Logistics Commission held its second meeting in Savannah to discuss the future of moving goods and cargo throughout Georgia and beyond. A key takeaway was the rapid growth of Georgia’s logistics industry and the challenges and opportunities that growth presents.
Much of the discussion centered on goods movement through the Port of Savannah, which is currently the largest single largest container port in the Western Hemisphere, and accounts for 8.5% of all cargo nationally. In FY2019 which ended in June, the Garden City Terminal moved a record volume of 4.5 million twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs). The Georgia Ports Authority forecasts continued strong growth in container volume, and is more than doubling capacity at the Garden City Terminal, to 11 million TEUs.
Efficient goods movement is critical to our everyday lives. The economies of metro Atlanta and Georgia are dependent on our ability to move freight and deliver goods. Not only is metro Atlanta is a critical distribution center with nearly 1 billion square feet of industrial space, we are a large market with a population over 5.5 million. Nearly two-thirds of all trucks on our roadways originate or are destined here.
As e-commerce expands and supply chains grow increasingly complex, it’s essential that we examine the changing nature of logistics, and make investments to ensure our global competitiveness. Our future depends on it.
The Commission’s next meeting will be held in Dalton, GA on October 16.
