Millions of farm animals are transported in trucks for hours or days. Transport stress is a major and often underestimated source of animal suffering in food production systems.
Livestock transport welfare failures reflect the intersection of regulatory inadequacy, economic pressure, and scale. US transport regulations are among the weakest of any major livestock producing nation — 28-hour limit without water is inadequate for animals in summer heat or after stressful loading. The welfare cost of transport is experienced by every single animal that enters the food system, making incremental improvements high-impact. Driver training, vehicle design, loading practice, and journey time limits all affect outcomes. The economic logic of long-distance transport — moving animals to lower-cost slaughter regions — generates welfare costs that are externalized onto the animals while profits are captured by producers and processors.