MIAMI—The ongoing evolution of supply chains is a key driver in the US industrial real estate market expansion. Businesses are looking to distribute goods across the country as quickly and efficiently as possible, but are faced with a nationwide shortage of truck drivers that poses a risk to existing distribution chain strategies.

Of course trucking plays a large role in the distribution of goods across a supply chain. But a new CBRE report also points to higher costs stemming from the truck driver shortage as a factor pushing users to turn to other land transport means, such as rail.

“Rising transportation costs, particularly those associated with trucking, are forcing supply chain users—manufacturers, importers, and exporters—to devise blends of warehouses and distribution centers that will most efficiently service the need for port access while enabling quick delivery to end users in densely populated metropolitan areas,” says Scott Marshall, executive managing director of Industrial Services for the Americas at CBRE. The report highlights a demand for warehouse and distribution space in markets that feature a significant intermodal component has been a strong indicator that users are choosing access to the rail network as a solution to some portion of their long-haul transportation needs.