America must focus on improving freight efficiency to meet the increasing demands of our nation's growing population, ATA President and CEO Bill Graves said in his opening remarks at the Moving the World: The Future of Freight Transportation conference, hosted by Volvo Trucks North America, Volvo Group North America, and the American Trucking Associations (ATA), along with the Embassy of Sweden.

'Consumers in the U.S. and across the globe demand fast delivery of life's essentials,' Graves said. 'Trucks help meet that demand and will continue as the preferred mode of freight transportation. However, our challenge as an industry is to accommodate the demands of a growing population in a safer, more efficient and environmentally friendly manner.'

Citing figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, Graves said the U.S. population increases by 2.6 million each year, which is equivalent to adding a new city of Chicago every year, on top of the 310 million already living in the U.S. With more people, cars and congestion across the country, improved truck productivity becomes a vital tool for maintaining global competitiveness, lowering the cost of consumer goods and limiting greenhouse gas emissions.