Spurred by e-commerce, Bradley Airport sees spike, significant growth potential in freight business

From Hartford Business Journal. The four-town Bradley Airport Development Zone is also in a unique position to become a key locus of ground freight in the Northeast, said Joe Sculley, president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut (MTAC), which represents companies in the state’s trucking industry. In addition to its proximity to the airport,…

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From Hartford Business Journal.

The four-town Bradley Airport Development Zone is also in a unique position to become a key locus of ground freight in the Northeast, said Joe Sculley, president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut (MTAC), which represents companies in the state’s trucking industry. In addition to its proximity to the airport, its unique geographic position puts it nearby major highways, making the area a great hub for trucking, which moves 94 percent of all freight in Connecticut.

The advent of companies like Amazon and others placing warehouses to meet demands for next-day or even same-day delivery is also adjusting truckers’ jobs, Sculley said. Thirty or 40 years ago, almost all trucking consisted of long-haul, cross-country routes.

Now, more routes are closer to the end customer or final destination, requiring truckers to fulfill that critical “last-mile” haul.

“Now because of e-commerce and the way retailers are set up, it’s become more localized, or regionalized, so the trucking routes are shorter,” Sculley said. “If you can tell [drivers] that they can be home at night, that’s a big plus.”

To see the complete article from the Hartford Business Journal online.

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