Nowhere is transportation more obvious than in how we work. Almost every facet of industry is built around the movement of goods, services, and people from one point to another in a timely, efficient, and safe manner. We move goods from across the far reaches of the earth by traversing natural barriers such as great oceans, jungles, and mountains. We have made the rivers, oceans, rails, and sky's our pathways for conducting business at home and abroad.

Our imports allow us to enjoy lower prices and higher standards of living while our exports provide jobs for our economy, none of which would be possible without transportation.

Today our transportation system of roads, rails, trucks, automobiles, and sea going vessels allows us to engage in commerce on a global scale. No longer are we restricted by distance and time. Modern transportation systems are able to deliver packages across the globe overnight and entire shiploads of goods in a matter of weeks.

The Global Trade Lab, which we will work through now, gives us a better understanding of how transportation systems interact on a world wide basis.