Distribution & Logistics - Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development

Easy access to global markets.

With our natural geographic advantage, a deep pool of highly skilled logistics workers and a robust transportation infrastructure, the transportation, distribution and logistics industry thrives in Tennessee.

Home to the world headquarters of shipping powerhouse FedEx, the Volunteer State is uniquely positioned to provide you with the most cost-effective way to reach suppliers and customers around the globe.

Tennessee’s geographic location is at the heart of the U.S., so you can count on easy access to markets around the world. Our central location also means your business can connect to customers and suppliers faster. We’re home to the busiest cargo airport in the North America. Not to mention, we have immediate access to eight interstate highways—reaching a majority of the U.S. population within an 11-hour drive or less. We also offer six Class 1 railroads and more than 970 miles of navigable waterways.

Tennessee has more miles of I-40 within its boundaries than any other state, with 455 miles traveling through 20 counties, consistently recognized as the best maintained interstate section in the nation.

Plus, our high-quality workforce is composed of more than 249,000 Tennesseans employed in the transportation, logistics and distribution industry at over 15,200 establishments. Some of the state’s larger companies in this industry include Amazon, Under Armour, Covenant Transport, Technicolor Home Entertainment Services, Peyton’s, Cummins Inc., Gap Inc., Walmart, FedEx, Averitt Express, U.S. Xpress, Norfolk Southern, Old Dominion Freight Line, Ozburn Hessey Logistics, Nike and Macy’s.

The FedEx World Hub in Memphis, which covers over 880 acres, is the largest sorting facility in the world, handling between 1.3 million and 1.5 million packages every night over 42 miles of conveyor belts. It’s also the second busiest cargo airport in the world.

Since 2018, $4.0billion in new capital investment and more than 13,400 new jobs have located in counties across the state. Among the companies bringing new jobs to the state are Amazon, Arrive Logistics, Chewy, Inc., DHL, FedEx Logistics, GAP, Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), and Ryder Integrated Logistics.