$8.5bn
$X.Xbn
24,143
4,227
$X.Xbn
The industry primarily included companies engaged in providing waterborne transportation of cargo and passengers along the nation’s lakes, rivers and other inland waterways. The industry has experienced varied conditions over the last few years. The COVID-19 pandemic, stagnant freight volumes, natural disasters and vast commodity price fluctuations all stifled industry growth. In addition, high competition from railroad and truck companies put downward pressure on industry freight rates, limiting revenue growth. To reach more customers and minimize operating expenses, large companies have continued to consolidate. The majority of this industry is represented by small companies, though. These small companies have limited operational capacities that have made them more vulnerable to external and large internal competitors, limiting profit growth. Industry revenue has decreased at a CAGR of 0.4% to $8.5 billion over the past five years, including an increase of 0.1% in 2024 alone.
Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 0.4 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $8.5bn in 2024.
Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.
Company | Market Share (%)
2024 | Revenue ($m)
2024 | Profit ($m)
2024 | Profit Margin (%)
2024 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ingram Industries Inc. | 1,042.8 | 222.8 | 21.4 | |
American Commercial Barge Line Llc | 869.3 | 97.4 | 11.2 | |
Kirby Corporation | 524.1 | -5.6 | -1.1 |
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Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Dry bulk and container transportation, Towing and tugboat services and Liquid bulk transportation. Dry bulk and container transportation is the largest segment of the Inland Water Transportation in the US.
The transportation of dry bulk through waterways is less hazardous compared with railroad and truck transportation
This industry includes establishments primarily engaged in providing waterborne transportation of cargo and passengers along the nation’s lakes, rivers and other inland waterways.
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NAICS 48321 - Inland Water Transportation in the US
Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.
Competition from railroad, truck and air freight companies is strong. This competition has encouraged companies to expand their shipping capacities to minimize operating expe...
Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.
Liquid bulk transportation has faced increasing competition from oil pipeline transporters. Liquid bulk transportation typically has higher economies of scale that enable the...
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The Southeast region is home to major transportation routes for cargo. No wonder this region has the most industry establishments.
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Internal competition is based on price, flexibility, speed, available services and equipment availability. Competition is most intense within the industry’s barging segment.
Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.
This industry is dominated by small companies. These small companies account for more than 59.0% of the market share.
Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.
The federal government maintains exclusive jurisdiction over the navigable water of the United States. This authority is primarily delegated to the US Coast Guard and the US ...
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Purchases are the most significant expense. Purchases include new or used vessels, fuel, barges and cranes and other cargo-handling equipment.
Including values and annual change:
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Key data sources in the US include:
Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.
These sources include:
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IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.
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The market size of the Inland Water Transportation in the US industry in United States is $8.5bn in 2024.
There are 4,227 businesses in the Inland Water Transportation in the US industry in United States, which has grown at a CAGR of 5.1 % between 2019 and 2024.
The market size of the Inland Water Transportation in the US industry in United States has been growing at a CAGR of 0.4 % between 2019 and 2024.
Over the next five years, the Inland Water Transportation in the US industry in United States is expected to grow.
The biggest companies operating in the Inland Water Transportation market in United States are Ingram Industries Inc., American Commercial Barge Line Llc and Kirby Corporation
Canal barge transportation and Freight transportation on inland waters are part of the Inland Water Transportation in the US industry.
The company holding the most market share in United States is Ingram Industries Inc..
The level of competition is high and increasing in the Inland Water Transportation in the US industry in United States.