Unpacking Freight: From Producers to Front Doors thematic banner
Kyle Shelton
Kyle Shelton, CTS Director

2025 Theme: Unpacking Freight—From Producers to Front Doors

I have an operating theory that too few Americans think regularly about our transportation system. It flies under our radar because, while far from perfect, we adjust our routines and lifestyles to the system that’s in front of us. If our commutes aren’t disrupted and our travel to key destinations goes smoothly, most of us don’t have a reason to give much thought to the system that underpins every aspect of our lives. 

This is doubly true, in my mind, of our freight system. As the supply chain disruptions during the pandemic underscored, few people think regularly about the enormity and complexity of how goods move to and through our country and world. Sure, we see the trucks, trains, and delivery vehicles in our communities, but rarely do we push beyond that to consider the level of coordination, people power, and effort that goes into moving goods from the farm field to our plate, or from a manufacturer across the globe to a business’s front door. As the director of CTS, I spend most of my time thinking and learning about transportation, yet freight remains a topic I have only scratched the surface of understanding.  

This awareness gap contributes to the challenges we collectively face in building a system that can help the most people thrive. 

Fortunately, in Minnesota and beyond, a large group of dedicated professionals in industry, government agencies, academia, and private life work hard to keep our freight system functioning. Many of these folks partner closely with CTS. For our 2025 theme of Unpacking Freight: From Producers to Front Doors, we’ll be collaborating with those experts to shed light on the ins and outs of how our freight system works, where it might be heading, and what obstacles we need to address as we move into the future. 

We’ve done this work alongside partners for years already. We are the logistical partner of the Minnesota Freight Advisory Committee and for more than a quarter-century have hosted the CTS Freight and Logistics Symposium. U of M researchers have studied many aspects of freight, including: truck driver safety, last-mile delivery, and the effects of different modes and networks on everything from GHG emissions to economic output.

Watch a short video introduction of Unpacking Freight

And in 2025, we are looking forward to leaning into those topics and bringing freight to the fore of our work. Minnesota is well situated as a major freight hub. For nearly two centuries we’ve served as a major agricultural exporter. We have a thriving manufacturing base with access to major rail, maritime, roadway, and aviation assets. This foundation offers us an opportunity to continue to build Minnesota as a freight leader. 

As in the past two years with The Future of Mobility and Rural Needs, Statewide Answers, we’ll be guided by our Unpacking Freight theme to hone in on key topics and host events, research, and workshops to further explore the future of freight. We kicked off our theme with a compelling keynote address at our annual research conference from Dr. Anne Goodchild of the University of Washington’s Urban Freight Lab. I learned a great deal from that discussion and I’m eager to continue that learning journey with you throughout 2025. 

—Kyle Shelton, CTS Director

Featured Resources

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Freight 101 Webinar Series

This six-webinar series explored the importance of the freight system to Minnesota and offered a glimpse into how key freight modes work in our state. It featured leaders with an overall freight system perspective as well as experts in trucking, aviation, maritime, rail, and urban logistics who shared their thoughts about the opportunities and challenges facing the freight industry. 

Freight 101 Webinar—Minnesota State Freight Plan 

Learn about Minnesota's state freight plan and MnDOT's role supporting freight transportation in our state. View the webinar and test your knowledge with our online quiz. 

Freight 101 Webinar—Maritime Freight 

Learn how leaders at the Saint Paul and Duluth Seaway Port Authorities are exploring freight-related challenges and opportunities on Lake Superior and the Mississippi River. View the webinar and test your knowledge with our online quiz.

Freight 101 Webinar—Aviation 

Learn how presenters navigate unique freight-related challenges and opportunities at airports of different sizes, and where they see air freight moving in the future. View the webinar and test your knowledge with our online quiz. 

Freight 101 Webinar—Rail 

Learn how freight rail works in Minnesota, how it interacts with other modes, and where the system may head in the future. View the webinar and test your knowledge with our online quiz. 

Freight 101 Webinar—Trucking 

Learn about a freight hauler's perspective and take a national look at the freight trucking sector. View the webinar and test your knowledge with our online quiz. 

Freight 101 Webinar—Urban Delivery and Logistics 

Learn how the latest technology is defining freight management and optimization. View the webinar and test your knowledge with our online quiz.

Transportation Synergies: A Cross-Sector Workshop on Moving People and Goods

Transportation Synergies: A Cross-Sector Workshop on Moving People and Goods

Often regarded as two separate systems with different needs, freight (largely operated by the private sector) and passenger transportation (a “common good” focus of the public sector) have many areas of shared need—roads and parking, for example. Transportation Synergies sought to foster a greater understanding of the unique perspectives involved in moving people and goods, identify issues that impact both systems, and uncover opportunities to build a safer, more efficient, and truly seamless network for moving both people and goods.

Event summary.

Read: Cross-sector workshop explores synergies between moving people and goods.

Securing the Freight Supply Chain: Addressing Cargo Theft and Fraud

Securing the Freight Supply Chain: Addressing Cargo Theft and Fraud 

This roundtable highlighted one of the fastest-growing threats to freight and supply chain operations: cargo theft and fraud. The session, moderated by CTS director Kyle Shelton, brought together panelists from across the freight ecosystem to discuss how their organizations are identifying, preventing, and responding to incidents of cargo theft and fraud. 

View the event recording.

Read: "Securing the Freight Supply Chain: Key Event Takeaways".

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Webinar Series

Advanced Air Mobility Webinar Series 

This webinar series focused on advanced air mobility (AAM), including what airports across the country are doing to prepare for AAM operations at their facilities. AAM systems efficiently move passengers and cargo using sustainably powered aircraft that feature innovative propulsion systems or highly automated aircraft, each with a gross takeoff weight of 300 pounds or greater. These webinars featured experts in AAM aircraft manufacturing, operations, and supporting services sharing their insights and lessons learned. 

Advanced Aviation Freight Panel Discussion 

Industry experts held a panel discussion about the potential for advanced air mobility to transform air cargo. View the webinar. 

Minnesota Electric Aviation Network (MEAN) Webinar Series

Minnesota Electric Aviation Network Webinar Series

This webinar series is a free, ongoing program dedicated to exploring how electric aviation will transform Minnesota’s skies, airports, and communities. Built on the findings of the MEAN Study, this series brings together industry leaders, airport sponsors, policymakers, utility providers, and innovators to share insights on the opportunities and challenges of electrifying flight. This series is ongoing through June 2026. Register for the next webinar now.

Minnesota Electric Aviation Network Final Study Presentation

In this webinar, Joseph Block, MEAN program manager, shared the results of the MEAN Study. The study identified a strategic network of Minnesota public-use airports that are suitable to support electric aircraft operations and aviation use cases pertinent to the state’s economy over the next decade. The results highlighted opportunities that exist for electric aviation and guide future infrastructure development in Minnesota.

Presentations and Webinars

CTS Webinar: The Coffee Supply Chain—What Goes into Delivering Your Favorite Coffee to the Store Shelf

Patrick Hessini, CTS Executive Committee member and head of supply chain at Cameron's Coffee, shared an in-depth look at the challenges and logistics of today's supply chain. 

2025 CTS Research Conference Keynote Presentation: E-Commerce Evolution

Drawing on research studies conducted in New York City, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. national context, Alison Conway explored the broad trends in e-commerce supply chain organization at the 2025 CTS Research Conference. She also discussed recent research findings, implications for freight and passenger travel demand, needed updates to planning and design practice, and remaining areas of research need. View the event recording. 

AI-Powered Freight—Revolutionizing Transportation and Logistics 

The 27th Annual Freight and Logistics Symposium explored the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize freight, transportation, and logistics. View the event recording.

E-Bike Growth and New Uses

CTS worked with the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN) to co-host an e-bike policy summit, where more than 100 participants from across the state discussed different applications and challenges that the growth of e-bikes has fomented. View the event recording.

Routing, VMT Reduction, and Curb Management

CTS and our five councils convened for this annual all-councils meeting, which explored topics related to CTS's 2025 theme of "Unpacking Freight: From Producers to Front Doors." View the event recording.

Innovation and Experimentation in Urban Freight 

Anne Goodchild, founding director of the Urban Freight Lab at the University of Washington, presented on innovation and experimentation in urban freight at the 2024 CTS Transportation Research Conference. Read coverage of the presentation and view the event recording.

Freight and Commercial Vehicle Safety in Roundabouts 

This webinar highlighted a recent MnDOT effort to evaluate the safety of heavy commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) at roundabouts. View the webinar. 

Other Resources

Current State of our Working River (TPT)

This video highlights the continued investment necessary for river infrastructure in Minnesota. Minnesota’s maritime freight industry moves via waterways the raw materials used to make what people use in everyday life—from the grain in pasta to the concrete for buildings to the steel in automobiles and appliances. This video was produced by TPT and published on Jan. 22, 2020. 

Minnesota Truck-Weight Education Program

The Truck-Weight Education Program promotes voluntary compliance to reduce damage to public roads and highways from overweight vehicles. The program’s goal is to provide information and explanations to attendees on hauling the greatest legal weight without violating truck-weight laws, making transportation of heavy trucks legal and safe and extending road infrastructure.

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