Via Appia and the Roman Road Network

Roman roads show how durable, standardized infrastructure lowers the cost and risk of moving goods over land, the role the US highway network plays for truck freight today. The Via Appia, begun by the censor Appius Claudius Caecus, ran about 132 Roman miles from Rome to Capua and was later extended to Brundisium, the Adriatic port for Greece and the east. Engineered roadbeds, milestones, and way stations let traffic move on predictable schedules in most weather. Truckload and LTL carriers depend on the same predictability, since reliable lanes and published transit times are what let shippers promise delivery dates to customers.

• Full TruckloadFTLA shipment that fills a whole trailer
• Less-Than-TruckloadLTLFreight that shares a trailer
• Time in TransitBusiness days from first scan to delivery

• Persian Royal Roadc. 500 BCE · A relay highway from Susa to Sardis under Darius I
• Roman Horrea2nd century BCE to 5th century · Rome stores grain, oil and wine in large warehouses
• Cursus Publicuslate 1st century BCE to 6th century · Augustus sets up a state courier service with stations

1. History and importance of the Appian Way britannica.com
2. Roman road system britannica.com
3. Via Appia. Regina Viarum whc.unesco.org