The standard way of transporting livestock in America is by truck. Worldwide, animals are transported frequently in a wide variety of vehicles, which can also include ships, trains and aircraft. Each of these methods presents its own troubles and advantages. However, truck transportation is a good indicator to point out some of the challenges the industry faces.

Animals are mostly transported to a farm, to a slaughterhouse or to Dutch auction. They can be moved in trucks of all sizes from a pickup, to a mid - sized or large multi-level transport truck. Their trips can be a small trip from one farm to the next, or required living in a truck for some days while being moved from one side of the country to the other.

Transporting livestock will put extra difficulty not only on them, but also on the tools and worker of the vehicle. The transporting of goods by trucks generally involves immobile items, which can be stacked or palletized for transport. Livestock are able to travel around and present some troubles mostly with large breeds. The shifting weight of a large cow(s) can make driving difficult in some situations. Animals need plenty of fresh air and enough bedding to remain warm. The heat of summer can quickly cause overheating if a truck becomes bunged for too long. Think how you would feel if trapped on a bus during rush hour traffic and without any Air Condition. The cold of winter causes the opposite difficulty, as most trucks are not heated. Pigs particularly can be predisposed to cold if not transported quickly to another warm location.

A calculator to display costs using live or dressed weight animals