Comparison of Major Domestic Surface Freight ModesTable 1 - Freight weight by mode, 2012-2040
Millions of tons 2012 2040 % changeTruck 12,973 18,083 39%
Rail 1,855 2,182 18%
Water 542 559 3%SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Office of Freight Management and Operations, Freight Analysis Framework, version 3.4, 2014. Available at http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/nat_freight_stats/ as of August 2014.
Table 2 - Freight value by mode, 2012-2040
Billions of 2007 dollars 2012 2040 % changeTruck 10,531 19,315 83%Rail 400 555 39%Water 170 138 -19%
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Office of Freight Management and Operations, Freight Analysis Framework, version 3.4, 2014.
Figure 1 - Average miles per shipment, 2012
Truck Rail Inland waterways0
100200300400500600700800900
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Commodity Flow Survey, Table 1 Shipment Characteristics by Mode of Transportation for the United States: 2012
Figure 2 - Total ton-miles by mode, 2012
1,264,3461,477,623
123,470
Truck Rail Inland waterways
Figure 3 - Average freight revenue per ton-mile (2006 $)
Source: Center for Climate and Energy Solutions Freight Transportation Factsheet. http://www.c2es.org/technology/factsheet/FreightTransportation
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Commodity Flow Survey, Table 1 Shipment Characteristics by Mode of Transportation for the United States: 2012
Figure 4 - Components of truck and rail shipping costs
Source: Center for Climate and Energy Solutions Freight Transportation Factsheet. http://www.c2es.org/technology/factsheet/FreightTransportation
TruckingFigure 5 - Peak period congestion on high-volume truck portions of the National Highway System, 2007
Figure 6 - Peak period congestion on high-volume truck portions of the National Highway System, 2040
Figure 7 - Major highway bottlenecks for trucks, 2004
Source: Cambridge Systematics, An Initial Assessment of Freight Bottlenecks on Highways, 2005. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/otps/bottlenecks/index.htm
Figure 8 - Top domestic commodities by weight (2012)
Source: 2012 Commodity Flow Survey
Figure 9 - Top domestic commodities by value, 2012
Source: 2012 Commodity Flow Survey
Rail
Figure 10 - Percentage growth in trains per day, 2005-2035
Source: Association of American Railroads, National Rail Freight Infrastructure Capacity and Investment Study, 2007.
Figure 11 - Future freight rail level of service (assuming no additional capacity), 2035
Source: Association of American Railroads, National Rail Freight Infrastructure Capacity and Investment Study, 2007.Note: At levels of service D, E, and F heavier train traffic makes recovery from maintenance activities and other service interruptions increasingly difficult.
Figure 12 - Top domestic commodities by weight, 2012
Source: 2012 Commodity Flow Survey
Figure 13 - Top domestic commodities by value, 2012
Source: 2012 Commodity Flow Survey
According to the American Association of Railroads: “In the first quarter of 2014, crude oil accounted for 1.6% of total carloads for Class I carloads. Given that crude oil is still such a small percentage of total rail traffic, it’s not plausible to claim that crude oil has “crowded out” other rail traffic to a significant degree.”
Waterborne Freight Figure 14 - Ports and terminals in the US
Source: Cambridge Systematics, Waterborne Freight Bottom Line Report.
Table 3- Top domestic commodities by weight, 2011
Total Great Lakes Tons (millions) 87.9Iron Ore and Scrap 47%Sand, Gravel, and Stone 24%Coal 21%Primary Manufactured Goods 3%All Other 4%
Total Inland Waterway Tons (millions) 553.6Coal 31%Petroleum Products 20%Food and Farm Products 13%Sand, Gravel, and Stone 10%Chemical and Related Products 9%Crude Petroleum 5%Primary Manufactured Goods 4%
All Others 7%Source: Cambridge Systematics, Waterborne Freight Bottom Line Report.
Figure 15 - Top domestic commodities by value, 2011
Source: Cambridge Systematics, Waterborne Freight Bottom Line Report, June 2013. http://www.camsys.com/pubs/WFT-1_sm.pdf
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