they gloss over the crucial bit, the peering agreements. standardizing containers is obvious and already well underway with shipping containers and pallets, but peering is pretty much nowhere, and much trickier in the physical world, where all routes are not the same.

The Physical Internet – a concept in which goods are handled, stored and transported in a shared network of manufacturers, retailers and the transportation industry – would benefit the US economy and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If 25% of the US supply chain operated with such an interconnected system, profits for participating firms would increase by $100B, CO2 emissions from road-based freight would decrease by at least 33% and consumers would pay less for goods.

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