Remember COVID? When the world shut down and the entire shipping system fell apart? Suddenly, two-day Amazon Prime became five-day delivery—sometimes more. That moment exposed something we still haven’t recovered from: our logistics network is fragile. It only takes a few kinks in the chain to throw the entire system off balance.
The truth is, our shipping infrastructure never fully bounced back. And it won’t—at least not without massive innovation and automation.
The Workforce Collapse
During COVID, a wave of baby boomers retired. Many took early buyouts or simply decided not to return to work. That exodus created a labor shortage that continues to ripple through logistics today.
We now have fewer workers than the system was built for, shifting power toward employees and driving wages upward. But here’s the hard reality:
- Logistics companies like UPS or FedEx operate on razor-thin margins—often just 3-5%.
- A 2% wage increase across the board can wipe out profits overnight.
Those costs don’t just disappear—they get passed to the consumer. That’s a big reason why shipping and product prices keep climbing.
The Only Way Forward: Automation
Our population is aging. Our workforce is shrinking. The only sustainable way to keep goods moving is automation—specifically, automated long-haul shipping.
Short-range “final mile” delivery (from local depots to homes) will remain human for now; there are simply too many variables. But long-haul freight—the semis running the interstate corridors from ports to regional hubs—can absolutely be automated within the next decade.
The Vision: A Nationwide Automated Freight Grid
Imagine a network of self-driving electric semis moving freight 24/7 across America:
- No DOT rest breaks.
- No driver shortages.
- No fuel inefficiencies.
Here’s how it works:
- Electric semis travel fixed interstate routes.
- When a truck’s battery depletes, it pulls into an automated swap station.
- A fully charged semi hooks to the trailer and continues the journey.
- The depleted truck recharges via wireless or rapid-dock charging, ready for the next load.
This system would slash lead times, reduce costs, and create a continuous, round-the-clock shipping loop across the country.
The Real Challenge: Power & Infrastructure
The biggest hurdle isn’t the AI—it’s energy.
Each automated freight hub would require massive electrical capacity, often in rural areas far from existing grids. That means:
- New transmission lines.
- New substations.
- Possibly new power plants (nuclear, gas, or renewables).
The U.S. grid is already strained; adding an automated EV trucking network would demand billions in energy infrastructure investment.
Building It
The rollout strategy would be simple but monumental:
- Start in Middle America — Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas — where land is open, power demand is manageable, and routes are central.
- Build one pilot hub and expand outward like a spiderweb.
- Layer on new automated routes as power infrastructure and AI systems mature.
Over time, this becomes a continental logistics network, capable of moving freight faster, cleaner, and more efficiently than ever before.
Why It Matters
Whoever builds this system first—whether it’s Tesla, Amazon, or a new disruptor—will control the backbone of global logistics for the next century.
Automation isn’t about replacing workers; it’s about filling the gaps that demographics have already created. As AI improves and population growth stagnates, the nations that solve logistics automation will dominate global trade.
The Moonshot
Automating America’s freight network isn’t just a project—it’s a civilizational upgrade.
It requires AI, robotics, power generation, and government cooperation on a scale not seen since the Interstate Highway System itself.
It’s expensive, risky, and decades in the making.
But it’s also inevitable.
And whoever pulls it off first… wins.
KON Investing 