Following on from Tennessee, next up in our moving freight through the Southeastern states is Kentucky. So what do you think of when you think about Kentucky? Perhaps, the world famous Bourbon, horse racing or bluegrass music, and you’d be 100% correct, all of those things are extremely popular in Kentucky.

But how much do you know about Kentucky’s incredible logistics network? In this blog we’re here to break down just how Kentucky has earned one of the top spots in U.S. supply chains. We’ll cover things like, it’s strategic location, the presence of massive operations from major logistics companies, key interstates and highways through the state that keep it connected domestically, and the mix of major air, rail and river access that makes Kentucky so important to national and international shippers. Our aim is to help people to understand just why so much freight runs through this state and how to strategically plan for your shipments passing through Kentucky.

Top Industries That Rely On Freight Movement In Kentucky 🤔

Kentucky’s largest major industries consist of automotive, aerospace, distribution, metals and chemicals companies. These are all industries that rely heavily on urgent and just in time freight movement. Well, because of the state’s location, and abundant access to highway, rail, water and air transportation routes, it means Kentucky’s infrastructure is top-notch which makes it easier to move supplies or finished products through the state. Let’s take a look at the different modes of shipping offered in Kentucky, starting with air that keeps international trade moving.

Air Cargo ✈️

Air cargo plays a critical part in logistics for time-sensitive, high value and just-in-time freight industries, like manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, and medical. Which, coincidentally are some of the largest industries in Kentucky and with it’s fantastic location, Kentucky is at an advantage as far as air cargo goes as they’re able to offer overnight reach to almost every major U.S. city. Let’s take a closer look at the leading airports in the state.

Kentucky’s Louisville Muhammed Ali International Airport (SDF)

Moving national or international freight via air into or out of Kentucky will most likely take place at the Louisville Muhammed Ali International Airport (SDF), the fifth busiest cargo airport in the world and third busiest in North America. This comes as no surprise to us, as in 2024 alone the airport handled over 6.95 billions pounds, which is 3,152,969 metric tons of cargo, there really are huge amounts of cargo moving through each day. It’s important to note that while it’s named an International airport it is mainly used for cargo, as it serves as the main global air hub for UPS’s Worldport and has no regularly scheduled international passenger flights, it does however see millions of passengers, around 3.7 million a year passing through.

The key benefits of Muhammed Ali International Airport, is the unmatched overnight freight handling. The UPS facility spans over 5.2 million square feet and has the capacity to handle over 420,000 letters and packages every hour, over 2 million packages a day and run hundreds of flights in and out each day. Coupled with the location and overnight service, freight that needs to be anywhere in the U.S. tomorrow morning can get there from SDF. Making it one of the best connected points in the U.S for urgent and time-sensitive air freight.

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)

Cincinnati is technically in Ohio, but CVG airport often surprises people as it’s actually 100% located in Hebron, Kentucky in Boone County. It’s currently the fifth busiest airport in the United States ranking by cargo traffic and the twelfth largest in the world. This probably has a lot to do with CVG hosting two major hubs. One for Amazon Air, which is their largest hub in the world spanning 800,000 square foot and covering 600 acres at CVG airport and a separate hub for DHL Express which recently underwent major investment for expantion to cover 194 acres and 6.4 million square feet of ramp area at the airport.

Other major players like, FedEx and other logistics companies also have a significant presence at CVG. It’s no surprise that this airport handles millions of tons of cargo annually, which we expect will only increase as it’s one of the largest and fastest growing cargo airports in North America.

Other airports in Kentucky that handle cargo are: Blue Grass Airport – Lexington, Owensboro – Daviess County Regional Airport and  Barkley Regional Airport – Paducah, which all offer smaller regional cargo capacity. While air freight solutions might be best for your freight if it’s urgent or high-value, freight with other needs and constraints might move better on road or rail. Let’s take a look at Kentucky’s solutions to those modes of transport.

Major Roadways In Kentucky 🛣

Kentucky’s interstate highways serve as an integral part of long-haul trucking. Major interstates pass through popular cities and also connect neighboring states. Here’s some of the major roads through Kentucky.

I-64

Interstate 64 is a critical 191 mile East-West route connecting Louisville the state’s largest city with Ashland, on the way passing  through major cities like Frankfort and Lexington, this road then carries on East to West Virginia and beyond.

I-65

The I-65 is a major North-South route, in total it runs 887 miles from Mobile, AL to Gary, IN and crosses Kentucky where it joins in the South from the Tennessee state line up to Louisville to cross into Indiana. Along the way, it passes through major cities in Kentucky including, Bowling Green, Elizabeth Town and Louisville. A super important thing to note about this route is that the highway cross the line between Central Time Zone and Eastern Time Zone in Bowling Green. Shippers need to factor this into predicted delivery timeframes.

I-71

Interstate 71 is a short interstate, but a very important one none the less. It connects Louisville with Cincinnati, OH it’s used frequently to move cargo for UPS, Amazon and DHL between Louisville and CVG.

I-75

The I-75 is another major South-North interstate, one of America’s busiest truck corridors in fact, as part of it runs from Atlanta to Cincinnati. Through Kentucky it passes by Williamsburg, London, Richmond, Lexington, Northern Kentucky.

I-24

The I-24 travels through the Southwestern section of Kentucky and connects with major city Nashville, TN. It’s a crucial link for goods to travel between the Southeast and Midwest.

There are also state parkways that play an important role in moving freight through Kentucky. Starting with:

Bluegrass Parkway

This is a preferred route for trucks wanting to avoid the congestion on the I-64 and connect Elizabethtown with Lexington.

Western Kentucky Parkway

This parkway offers an East-West route through the centre of the state. It runs from Eddyville to Elizabethtown and helps to connect commercial traffic to other major highways.

Cumberland Parkway

The Cumberland Parkway creates a path through Southern Kentucky and links Somerset to Bowling Green.

⚠️ Major Trucking Bottleneck Areas 

Watch out for these routes, they’re known for their congestion:

• Louisville’s spaghetti junction – I-64,I-65 & I-71
• Northern Kentucky’s I-71 & I-75 merge point
• Ohio’s river crossings in Louisville and Cincinnati
• The I-75 around Lexington, especially during peak hours

It’s important to remember that not all freight moves by road though. Much of the state’s economy depends on rail shipping options, which still moves millions of tons of freight through the state each year. Let’s take a deeper look into rail solutions here in Kentucky.

Rail 🚝

Kentucky is the home to two class 1 railroads that operate extensive routes through the state. The two being CSX and Norfolk Southern, they play a vital role in Kentucky logistics, connecting it with major Midwest, Southeast, and East coast markets. The routes run through key cities like Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, Paducah and Northern Kentucky.

Rail transportation is used mainly to move freight for industries like, automotive, agriculture, energy, chemicals, etc. to move shipments of bulk materials, metals, industrial machinery, and more. Kentucky railroads might not have large intermodal terminals like Memphis or Chicago, but it does have a number of strategic rail yards and transfer points, especially in Louisville and Northern Kentucky.

While rail offers a cost-effective and scalable shipping alternative to long-haul trucking that is non-urgent, there’s another shipping method that offers a similar solution, and that’s on Kentucky’s waterways.

Riverports and Waterways 🛳

There is around 1,020 miles that are deep enough, wide enough and calm enough for water vessels to pass safely while transporting goods and people. Riverports are a vital part of Kentucky’s logistics network, connecting the waterways to road and rail. There are three rivers bordering Kentucky: Ohio River, Mississippi River and Big Sandy River, but these aren’t the only ones used to move freight, others include: Tennessee River, Cumberland River, Green River and Licking River. Barge freight is often overlooked, but you’d be surprised at how efficient they are. In fact, the jet fuel that powers the U.S. hubs for DHL, UPS, and Amazon Air are all transported via barge. It is moved along the Ohio River to ports in Cincinnati and Louisville where it is then delivered through pipelines to the airports.

So, to put it into perspective, Kentucky’s waterways are responsible for the movement of around 19% of Kentucky’s total freight tonnage, the same amount of freight trying to move on Kentucky’s roads would require 3.5 million trucks. Making the waterways a real key player in Kentucky’s logistics arena.

What Restrictions Are There When Moving Freight In Kentucky? ⛔️

Now that we have covered the modes of transport used to move freight through this state, it’s important that we run through state restrictions, focusing on trucking regulations including, permitted travel hours, weight and dimension limits and other permit and escort vehicle requirements.

Trucking – Legal Size & Weight Limit 

Gross Vehicle Weight – 80,000lbs

Single Axel 20,000lbs

Tandem Axel – 34,000lbs

Tridem – 48,000lbs

Height – 13ft 6in

Width – 8ft 6 in

Any load that exceeds any of these legal limits, must obtain a special permit from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. They’re available as single trip, annual permits, or blanket permits. Different permits are also needed for certain cargo, i.e. metal commodity permits and annual feed for livestock permits.

Special permits have different restrictions, you can find out more at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet website: https://drive.ky.gov/Motor-Carriers/Overweight-Over-Dimensional/Pages/OWOD-Permits.aspx

Restricted Travel Hours

This is where Kentucky differs from any of the Southeastern states we’ve covered so far. Because unless it states otherwise on a permit, Kentucky does not enforce restricted travel times, meaning you can travel with oversize and overweight freight at any time of the day or night. Unless you’re travelling through these counties, then you are prohibited to travel with over-dimensional freight between 7am-9am and 4pm-6pm Monday to Friday:

1. Boone
2. Campbell
3. Fayette
4. Jefferson
5. Kenton

Another really interesting fact about Kentucky is that there are no holiday movement restrictions, meaning freight can move on major holidays, unlike every other state we’ve written about so far.

So, what other restrictions are there in Kentucky? Well, specified routes designated for over-dimensional freight is one, these routes are chosen for their bridge clearances, road conditions and traffic considerations, if moving oversize or overweight freight you must move along these routes. Where we do see Kentucky follow other states standard procedures for over-dimensional freight is in the need for escort vehicles, signs and lights.

Any vehicle exceeding 10 feet 6 inches wide must display two “OVERSIZE LOAD” signs, four warning flags on each corner with additional flags on the widest part of the load. If there’s a front overhang exceeding ten feet then an amber strobe light needs to be placed on the towing vehicle.

Conclusion 😊

Kentucky’s freight network is super impressive, with strong air, rail, road and barge shipping options, it means that the state plays a critical part in keeping U.S. supply chains moving. Although Kentucky houses key facilities for some of the world’s major logistics players like, UPS, FedEx, Amazon Air, and DHL it’s also the home to some pretty amazing smaller logistics partners. Ones that excel in helping to deliver out of the ordinary, critical, urgent, time-sensitive, oversize, overweight, “difficult” shipments that the larger companies would not take on.

If you’re struggling with moving your freight through Kentucky, we have just the people in mind to help you. You see, we have a PEI office based in Cincinnati, that knows the state like the back of their hand and over the years has adapted unique strategies to tackle Kentucky freight. Get in touch direct by cell on: 888-SHIP-911 or use the link below to reach out, we’d love to hear from you!

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