Transportation
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Reliable Transportation / 24-7-365 /
One of the country’s most reliable locations in terms of ability to operate 24-7-365
- Minimal Closure Airport: Memphis has more sunny days each year than Miami, FL
- More experienced logistics workers per capita than any other U.S. city
- International gateway for product export and import via three Free Trade Zones
The emergence of Memphis as a global logistics hub has not gone unnoticed. In fact, a growing number of companies have discovered the logistics advantages offered in Memphis, and have expanded, relocated or opened new facilities here to capitalize on them. Anchored by Memphis International Airport, the world's busiest cargo airport since 1992, and fueled by the presence of FedEx's world headquarters and super-hub, the Memphis economy of today is healthy and diverse.
Memphis is located at the nexus of both population and transportation in the U.S. With the world’s leading cargo airport, five class-one railroads, the U.S.’s 4th-largest inland port, seven interstates and U.S. highways and an abundance of logistics support-service providers, Memphis offers superior operational value and flexibility throughout the supply chain.
Click on the headings below to learn more about Memphis' 4Rs:
Runway
For 17 years in a row, the Memphis International Airport has been the world’s busiest air cargo airport. As a passenger hub for Delta Airlines and a SuperHub for FedEx, Memphis International is the only dual passenger and cargo hub in the world. Companies locate near the airport to take advantage of some of the latest drop-off times for overnight shipping in the country.
- Shipped 3.8 million metric tons in 2008
- 9 all-cargo airlines
- World’s largest mail processing center
- One of the 10 fastest-growing airports in the U.S.
- 36th busiest passenger airport
- 3rd largest UPS sorting facility in the US
- Home to the largest National Guard Facility ever built in the United States
Roads
A critical part of Memphis’ intermodal infrastructure is the ability to take cargo from planes and barges and quickly distribute these via truck.
- Memphis is uniquely suited to this b/c it can serve more metro markets overnight (that’s within 600 miles) than any other U.S. city
- The nation’s 3rd-busiest trucking corridor (I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis) connects the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts and runs directly through Memphis.
- Likewise, I-55 is America’s primary north/south corridor for the Midwest.
- Memphis is the Half way point of the new 2,600-mile, I-69 superhighway connecting Canada to Mexico currently under construction.
- Memphis is the starting point of the new Interstate 22 Corridor, a straight shot to Birmingham and Atlanta
Rail
Rail still remains the primary artery for the flow of goods from all major North American deep-water seaports on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts to the continent’s interior. Memphis, a city built around the railroad, provides access to North America via train within less than 48 hours.
- 3rd-largest rail center in the United States behind Chicago and St. Louis
- One of only five U.S. cities served by 5 or more of the U.S.’s 6 long-haul Class I rail systems (Norfolk Southern, Burlington Northern/Santa Fe, Union Pacific/Southern Pacific, CSX and Canadian National)
- Home to six fully operational rail yards with a total current container capacity of nearly one million annual lifts
- By train, Memphis can reach 45 states (including Canada & Mexico) within 2 days
- Single system shipment to all 48 contiguous states, Alaska, Mexico, and Canada
- Memphis is home to five of the largest wide-span cranes in the country because of BNSF’s $200 million newly expanded intermodal facility
River
Memphis was founded in 1827 on the Mississippi River, America’s primary river artery. Memphis’ early economy was built on access to the River and because the River continues to be a vital component of the U.S.’s transportation network, the River has remained a critical intermodal advantage of the Memphis area
- U.S. Customs collects more import duties from the Port of Memphis than most major U.S. sea ports, including the port of New Orleans
- Memphis is the 2nd-largest port on the Mississippi and the 4th-largest inland port in the U.S.
- The largest still water harbor on Mississippi
- Port of Memphis handles more than 18 million tons annually
- The International Port of Memphis is also home to the Valero petroleum refinery, the only refinery in the State of Tennessee.