A Balanced Freight Network in Florida: Possible or Not?
- John Doe
- Us freight lane strategies
- June 18, 2025
Table of Contents
The Narrative about Florida’s Freight Market
Here’s the narrative about Florida’s OTR dry van market. It’s imbalanced market where inbound loads outnumber outbound loads. Finding a load into Florida isn’t issue but getting a load out of Florida and not running empty is a trick. The reason for the imbalance is that Florida has a massive consumer base. Florida requires lots of inbound trucks to service its consumer base but doesn’t produce enough outbound freight to fill those trucks.
If you’re a glass half full person, there’s a positive to Florida’s freight imbalance. The inbound loads aren’t going anywhere. In 2024, US Census estimates Florida’s population at 23.4 million people. In addition, Florida gets a bump from another 1.4 million daily visitors. Let’s say that Florida’s consumer base was an average of 24.8 million people daily.
So, what about those backhauls to fill those empty inbound trailers? Is it possible for a fleet to a have balanced freight network in Florida? We offer a back-of-the-napkin approach on how to plan a balanced lane strategy using three data sources:
- West End Alt’s truck counts and geospatial analysis of Florida’s distribution network
- The US Census’ Commodity Flow Survey
- The US Census’ County Business Pattern Survey
Florida’s Interstate Freight Corridors: Inbound/Outbound Trailer Counts
We count Florida’s inbound/outbound trailers at the state’s western gateway - I-10 - and at the state’s northern gateways - I-75 and I-95.
Map of Florida’s major interstates, which are critical for freight movement throughout the state.
| Load Type | I-10 | I-75 | I-95 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inbound | 965 | 4,172 | 3,299 |
| Outbound | 789 | 2,782 | 2,200 |
| Load Type | I-10 | I-75 | I-95 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inbound | 965 | 4,172 | 3,299 |
| Outbound | 789 | 2,782 | 2,200 |
67% of Florida’s population lives within a 10 mile buffer of Florida’s interstate freight corridors. It’s no surprise that inbound/outbound loads along I-75 and I-95 are 2X - 3X greater than I-10. In addition to reaching the population density along I-75 and I-95, freight operators can service the population along the I-4 corridor.
Distribution centers and warehouses with Florida align with Florida’s population density.