It’s no secret in the trucking industry that the world doesn’t run without the trucking industry. The public, however, often overlooks the vital role freight plays in every aspect of their daily lives. Insider Monkey recently sought to remedy the situation by putting trucking in the limelight with a list of the world’s 10 largest motor carriers.

“The invention of the internal combustion engine and the automobile, however, had a far more dramatic impact [than rail] on the economy since the development of this new sort of vehicle made it able to go faster, restricted in its reach by nothing less than very rough terrain,” said Insider Monkey columnist George Durankiev. “People didn’t have to rely on animals or railroad companies to ship out their goods anymore. They could do it themselves with the convenience of their own truck or hire someone to do it for them with the same efficiency.”

The ranking is based on information from JOC.com. It includes logistics companies but only those operating sizeable truck fleets.

10. Canadian National
With roots in the railroad industry, Canadian National is now the largest motor carrier in Canada and a major employer in the country.

9. SNCF GEODIS
Operating under SNCF Logistics, GEODIS is the fourth largest transportation company in Europe. It is based in France and offers regional, over-the-road and multimodal services.

8. Yamato Transport
Japan may be a small country, but Yamato is no small company. It was founded in 1919 and has become the country’s biggest door-to-door delivery service. It is known for its logo, a black cat carrying a kitten.

7. Nippon Express
Another Japanese carrier, Nippon Express, operates in 40 countries. It was created as a semi-government transportation enterprise in 1937 but is now a private entity.

6. CMA CGM
This French ocean shipping company, has added door-to-door delivery on every populated continent. Its intermodal subsidiaries operate under the name Greenmodal Transport.

5. DB Schenker
DB Schenker is the transportation subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, offering both direct and multimodal services. Headquartered in Europe, the company operates in 140 countries the world over.

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