Support Activities for Transportation

NAICS 488 covers establishments that provide specialized services facilitating the movement of goods and passengers — without performing the actual transportation. This includes air traffic control, marine cargo handling, railroad terminal operations, freight brokerage, motor vehicle towing, and pipeline terminal services. These businesses function as the connective tissue of the U.S. freight and passenger transportation network, handling the loading, unloading, staging, routing, and coordination that carriers depend on to operate efficiently.

Freight brokerage and third-party logistics (3PL) represent the fastest-growing segment, with firms like C.H. Robinson (headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota), XPO Logistics, Echo Global Logistics (acquired by Jordan Company), and Coyote Logistics (a UPS subsidiary) arranging freight movement without owning trucks or vessels. The freight brokerage market has expanded as shippers increasingly outsource carrier selection, rate negotiation, and shipment tracking to intermediaries operating digital load-matching platforms.

Port and marine terminal operations are capital-intensive, with operators like SSA Marine, Ports America, and APM Terminals managing container handling at major gateways. Airport ground handling firms including Swissport and Menzies Aviation provide ramp services, cargo processing, and passenger assistance. The Federal Aviation Administration operates the air traffic control system, the largest government-operated component of this subsector. Motor vehicle towing, classified under NAICS 488410, operates through roughly 35,000 tow companies nationwide, regulated primarily at the state and local level.