Here at uShip, we sit in a unique position when it comes to logistics and data.
Every day thousands of large shipments – vehicles, boats, motorcycles, furniture, equipment, freight and more – pass through our platform, and thanks to the power of big data and our data scientists, we’re able to spot and report on trends, often with surprising results.
Below is a summary of the highlights found in our first America, We Ship trend report. Look for more reports to be published in subsequent quarters. Check out the shipping capital of America on the uShip blog.
Florida Takes Top Honors on Large Shipment Volume
America, We Ship reveals that Florida is the nation’s most active state – per capita – for shipping large items like cars, furniture, and boats. In 2017, uShip’s data ranked Florida No. 1 per capita with 92,907 shipments, followed by Colorado with 22,002, and Nevada with 12,956.
By comparison, California – the most populous state – ranked 15th per capita (119,041 shipments), while Texas ranked 6th (89,123) and New York ranked 40th (44,655).Nearly 1 million people move into or out of Florida annually, according to The Palm Beach Post. Of the Florida-related shipments on uShip, 82 percent were interstate (into or out of the state), while 18 percent were intrastate, staying within Florida.
“Shipping large items has historically been a very challenging and complicated process because it can be difficult to know where to begin or how much it should cost,” says uShip CEO Mike Williams. “Technology has stepped in to change the entire process. It’s never been easier to get great rates and to connect with feedback-rated transporters. Our data shows this shift has been truly embraced by Floridians.”
Game of Thrones – Florida Edition
Florida, more than any other state, also had its share of unusual and extreme shipments enter the state in 2017. For example, a Miami resident rang in the New Year with a delivery of a 55-pound golden King’s Throne that arrived from Texas, while a his-and-hers matching set of thrones was shipped to Ocala, Fla., just a few weeks prior.
Shipping Whimsy
Other unique items that safely got from A to B last year include:
Heaviest Shipment: 211,688 pounds. A giant Caterpillar rock truck weighing the equivalent of a giant blue whale was shipped from Tennessee to Kansas
Longest Distance Shipment: 5,024 miles. A 2008 22’ SeaSwirl Striper boat was shipped from Miami to Anchorage
Cutest Shipment: Two red baby miniature donkeys were shipped from North Carolina to Connecticut
Nerdiest Shipment: A LEGO Store Star Wars Yoda display was shipped from Tennessee to Virginia
The Most Shipped Car in America Isn’t Even, Um…American
We found two quintessential American-made cars – the utilitarian Ford F-150 and classic Ford Mustang – took a backseat to the BMW 3 Series as the most shipped vehicle in the U.S. Here’s a look at the top five from the report, which also includes the top five shipped motorcycles in America:
View the full America, We Ship report here.
Research Methodology
The America, We Ship report reflects internal logs on uShip.com between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2017. As an online shipping platform, uShip’s data provides one of the most unique views into the large and hard-to-ship items people and businesses are shipping across the United States.
