The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Freight Movement and Logistics

The global spread and devasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic led to governments taking stringent measures to control its rapid spread. Despite a boost in activity as COVID-19 infections drop worldwide, global growth remains subdued and is projected to slow down further. A key factor slowing down global growth is travel limitations at the center of the fight against the epidemic, especially in China, with substantial worldwide economic disruption observed. The pandemic has severely influenced transportation networks, including the marine, rail, aviation, and trucking industries, causing disruptions in freight transit and logistics flow. As such, the purpose of this research is to explore the influence of COVID-19 on worldwide freight and logistics to answer the following research questions: (i) What impact did the pandemic have on global freight and logistics? (ii) Is the global freight and logistics business ready for the next pandemic? Lastly, (iii) What are the industry's post- COVID strategic and operational policies? This research presents a systematic and bibliometric review of existing research to provide a more accurate evaluation of the impact of COVID-19 on global freight and logistics. Through a rigorous and systematic search, we identified 62 relevant articles published between 2020 and 2022 and studied the methodologies, context an d theories used in each piece. The directions resulting from a critical review of these papers can guide researchers in designing and conducting impactful research and guide policymakers in making the necessary trade-offs as the world recovers from the pandemic and is prepared for future pandemics.