2018 Top 50 Global Freight

2018 Essential Revenue and Operating Information for the 50 Largest Global Freight Carriers

Up Front

Here’s how rail intermodal projects are boosting development in cities across America.
This year, the world’s biggest freight carriers all got a little bigger as demand for transportation surged.
Several of the most daring and promising concepts for the future of transportation.

Rankings

Rank This Year Rank Last Year Company Headquarters Freight Revenue (Millions) Total Revenue (Millions) Freight Revenue Share
1 1
FedEx Logistics
United States $57,198 $62,335 91.8%
2 2
UPS Inc.
United States $57,100 $65,872 86.7%
3 3
China Railway Corp.
China $39,395 $150,274 26.2%
4 4
Maersk
Denmark $29,096 $30,945 94%
5 5
Russian Railways
Russia $26,285 $38,594 68.1%
6 6
Deutsche Post DHL Group
Germany $21,915 $68,271 32.1%
7 9
Mediterranean Shipping Co.
Switzerland $21,428 $21,428 100%
8 7
Union Pacific Corp.
United States $21,240 $21,240 100%
9 10
CMA CGM Group
France $21,116 $21,116 100%
10 8
BNSF Railway
United States $20,406 $21,387 95.4%
11 11
Indian Railways
India $17,948 $25,311 64.8%
12 13
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines
Japan $13,958 $14,830 94.1%
13 12
NYK Group
Japan $13,869 $19,903 69.7%
14 18
Cosco Shipping Group
China $13,378 $13,378 100%
15 14
Deutsche Bahn AG
Germany $12,578 $48,234 26.1%
16 17
CSX Corp.
United States $11,408 $11,408 100%
17 15
Hapag-Lloyd AG
Germany $11,264 $11,264 100%
18 16
Yamato Holdings
Japan $11,190 $15,459 72%
19 19
Norfolk Southern Corp.
United States $10,551 $10,551 100%
20 22
SF Express
China $10,522 $10,522 100%
21 20
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (K Line)
Japan $10,166 $10,166 100%
22 21
Canadian National Railway
Canada $9,766 $10,054 97%
23 23
XPO
United States $7,516 $15,381 48.9%
24 25
GeoPost Group
France $7,350 $7,699 95.5%
25 24
SG Holdings
Japan $7,302 $9,003 81.1%
26 27
J.B. Hunt Transport Services
United States $6,181 $7,190 86%
27 28
Orient Overseas (International) Ltd.
Hong Kong $6,108 $6,108 100%
28 30
Canadian Pacific Railway
Canada $4,915 $5,053 97.3%
29 29
Yellow Corp.
United States $4,891 $4,891 100%
30 32
Knight-Swift Transportation
United States $4,634 $5,186 89.4%
31 35
Evergreen Marine Corp.
Taiwan $4,444 $4,947 88.9%
32 31
Hyundai Merchant Marine Co.
South Korea $4,438 $4,438 100%
33 33
Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp.
Taiwan $4,303 $4,303 100%
34 34
Transnet Group
South Africa $3,775 $4,918 76.8%
35 36
Schneider
United States $3,647 $4,384 83.2%
36 40
TFI International
Canada $3,460 $3,655 94.7%
37 39
Emirates Group
United Arab Emirates $3,386 $24,831 13.6%
38 38
Old Dominion Freight Line
United States $3,358 $3,358 100%
39 37
Nippon Express
Japan $3,117 $17,798 17.5%
40 43
Cathay Pacific Airways
Hong Kong $3,067 $12,483 24.6%
41 41
Toll Group
Australia $3,023 $6,282 48.1%
42 44
ZIM Integrated Shipping Services
Israel $2,978 $2,978 100%
43 46
Lufthansa Group
Germany $2,851 $40,186 7.1%
44 38
Pacific International Lines
Singapore $2,616 $3,798 68.9%
45 45
Kansas City Southern
United States $2,583 $2,583 100%
46 48
Estes Express Lines
United States $2,476 $2,746 90.2%
47 50
Korean Air
South Korea $2,473 $10,387 23.8%
48 42
Aurizon
Australia $2,409 $2,409 100%
49 -
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Group
Norway $2,404 $3,024 79.5%
50 -
Kazakhstan Temir Zholy
Kazakhstan $2,349 $2,785 84.3%

Extras

A look at what logistics companies can do to compete in the age of Amazon.
An increase in global shipping volume is adding urgency to efforts to optimize cargo handling.
Railroads push to boost earnings while trying to accommodate an increase in demand for intermodal shipping.
Find out where the Top Global Freight Carriers are around the world.
Learn more about Transport Topics' Top 50 Global Freight Carriers Publication
If your company appears in the 2018 list, you have a few ways to announce it! Visit our logo library to get web- and print-ready graphics.

Global Freight News

GovernmentBusinessLogisticsGlobal Freight

CK Hutchison Unit Seeks $2 Billion in Panama Ports Dispute

Panama Ports cites the Central American nation's “illegal state takeover” of the Balboa and Cristobal ports, and challenged a Feb. 23 executive decree it said authorized the seizure of its assets.

March 6, 2026
GovernmentBusinessLogisticsGlobal Freight

Panama Surprised by Higher Canal Traffic Amid Trade Wars

Canal revenue increased 8%-10% in the first five months of its fiscal year 2026, which started in October, compared to the same period a year earlier. The canal saw a record $5.7 billion in FY 2025. 

March 6, 2026
GovernmentBusinessFuelLogisticsGlobal Freight

Maersk Suspends More Container Services on Middle East Risks

Maersk will temporarily halt its FM1 Service, which connects the Far East to the Middle East, and its ME11 Service, which links the Middle East to Europe, according to a notice to customers on March 6.

March 6, 2026
GovernmentBusinessFuelLogisticsGlobal Freight

Strait of Hormuz Shipping Is at Near-Total Halt

A review of shipping signals have confirmed only two commercial transits in the past 24 hours, the Joint Maritime Information Center said in a note on March 6.

March 6, 2026
GovernmentBusinessLogisticsGlobal Freight

CK Hutchison Port Sale Plan Stalls Ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting

CK Hutchison's plans to sell its global ports are at an impasse a year after the deal was announced, with hopes pinned on a meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to yield a breakthrough.

March 6, 2026
BusinessTechnologyLogisticsGlobal FreightPrivateTop 50Top 100

Amazon Web Outage Strands Customers

Amazon.com's website and mobile app malfunctioned for some users March 5, with critical features like product listings and checkout options producing error pages. 

March 5, 2026
GovernmentBusinessLogisticsGlobal Freight

USPS Taps Restructuring Advisers Amid Cash Crunch

The Postal Service hired consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal in recent days to develop a plan, Postmaster General David Steiner said March 4 in an interview.

March 4, 2026
GovernmentBusinessSafetyFuelLogisticsGlobal Freight

Shippers and Oil Traders Seek Details on Trump’s Convoy Plan

With ships unable or unwilling to transit the Strait of Hormuz, producers cannot export, supertanker costs are skyrocketing and storage at many Persian Gulf refineries is filling up fast. 

March 4, 2026
BusinessLogisticsGlobal FreightTop 50

Kuehne + Nagel to Cut 2,000 Jobs as War Pressures Markets

The conflict in the Middle East creates additional unknowns. “The whole issue of supply chain reliability will become more important,” CEO Stefan Paul told journalists on March 3.

March 3, 2026
GovernmentBusinessSafetyFuelLogisticsGlobal FreightTop 100

Containership Giants Move Freight Away From Gulf Hot Spots

Some carriers are canceling bookings temporarily, skipping some port calls, warning of delays and implementing surcharges to transport containers through the conflict zone. 

March 2, 2026

Archives

  • 2024

  • 2023

  • 2022

  • 2021

  • 2020

  • 2019

  • 2018

  • 2017

  • 2016

  • 2015