People travel, but so do animals and things — it’s just oftentimes, they don’t ride alongside us. For those times, we ship them, whether it’s a family pet who isn’t able to fly, a vintage car bought at an out-of-state auction, furniture to a new home, or whatever junk that’s being sent off for donation. According to UShip, a company that specializes in moving everything from household objects to boats and heavy machinery, 40 million Americans move homes each year, which means a lot of stuff gets shipped. Crosstown or cross-country, uShip works by filling empty truck space (via an online marketplace), and passes on the savings to consumers or businesses. Motorcyclists, for example, have used UShip to send their bikes to rallies, instead of making the long ride.
So, what exactly are people shipping? In UShip’s “State of Shipping in America” 2018 report, it’s a lot of cars, household goods, and dogs, but also some curiosities (the report only highlights the items tracked in its network). The report also shows where our stuff is coming and going. Here’s a look at what and where Americas are shipping their stuff.
BMW 3-Series
Sure, you could drive your vehicle to its new home, but why rack up the mileage and wear-and-tear? The most popular car people shipped was the BMW 3-Series, followed by the Ford F-150, Ford Mustang, Toyota Camry, and Jeep Wrangler.
Dogs
More people shipped their dogs (4,374) than any other animal, followed by horses, cattle, or sheep. In case you’re worried about animal welfare, uShip connects customers with services that specialize in animal transport.
Cowboy Bathtub
An antique cowboy bathtub, made out of galvanized tin (similar to the one shown above), was the most rare item uShip delivered from Oklahoma to California.
Player pianos
Somebody in Belleview, Florida shipped three antique player pianos to Williamsburg, Michigan. Our guess is someone is opening an old-timey saloon.
Lego Yoda
A Lego store display of Master Yoda, of Star Wars fame (and much larger that the one in this photo), was shipped from Tennessee to Virginia.
Caterpillar Mining Truck
A 105-ton construction vehicle made its way from Tennessee to Kansas. The truck’s weight is equivalent to a blue whale, and it was uShip’s heaviest shipment to date.
A 22-foot boat from Florida to Alaska
A boat was shipped from Miami, Florida to Anchorage, Alaska. The 12-day, 5000-mile journey was the longest distance uShip made in 2017.
Busiest city for shipping: Los Angeles
If you’re looking to get into the shipping business, L.A. might be where you want to open shop (or not, if you want to avoid competition), followed by Houston, Dallas, and Chicago.
Houston-to-Austin is the most popular route
The intra-state connection between the largest city in Texas and its state capital is the busiest. Chicago-to-New York and New York-to-Los Angeles are second and third, respectively.
Where’s all this stuff going?
Miami, Houston, L.A., Austin, and NYC are the top-five cities where large items are being shipped to.
What gets shipped the most?
Vehicles (31 percent), household items (18 percent), motorcycles (11 percent), and boats (5 percent).
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