Location and Logistics

Thanks to its location along I-77 and I-485, as well as its manufacturing strength, the Charlotte area is one of the nation’s leading distribution centers.

 

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is the world’s sixth most active airport in total operations and eigth largest in the nation in terms of total passengers. 

 

The airport’s cargo service handled more than 131,000 tons of domestic and international cargo in 2014. The Charlotte Air Cargo Center, which includes 500,000 square feet of facilities and 50 acres of aircraft ramp space, is served by 20 cargo airlines and 46 freight forwarders.

 

North Carolina is currently the 16th largest trucking center, while Charlotte employs nearly 20 percent of the state’s work force in the industry. Located here are 329 trucking companies and 28,688 transportation employees, including truckers.

 

The Charlotte region is at the center of the largest consolidated rail system in the country. Two major rail systems, Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation, link 43,200 track miles of rail to 23 states, D.C. and Canada. They bring approximately 300 trains through Charlotte weekly. Norfolk Southern’s $50 million computerized yard can classify up to 28,000 cars per day.

 

In 2014, Norfolk Southern opened a $92 million intermodal facility at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, linking air, rail and truck services to East Coast seaports.