Table 5-7 and 5-7M: Fuel Consumption by Transportation Mode
The number of gallons of fuel burned by commercial trucks nearly doubled over the past twenty years, while fuel use in several other modes declined. Between 1980 and 2003, the fuel consumed in highway freight transportation increased from 20 billion to 38 billion gallons annually. This is due to a substantial increase in the number of trucks on the road, an increase in the average number of miles traveled per truck, and a doubling of truck vmt. Over the same period, fuel use in Class I freight rail declined from 3.9 to 3.8 billion gallons.
Table 5-7 (standard units)
Table in Excel format | Historical data
 |
1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2003 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highway | | |||||
| Gasoline, diesel and other fuels (million gallons) | 114,960 | 130,755 | 162,555 | 169,624 | ||
| Truck, total | 19,960 | 24,490 | 35,229 | 37,585 | ||
| Single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more truck | 6,923 | 8,357 | 9,563 | 10,690 | ||
| Combination truck | 13,037 | 16,133 | 25,666 | 26,895 | ||
| Truck (percent of total) | 17.4 | 18.7 | 21.7 | 22.2 | ||
| Rail, Class I (in freight service) | | |||||
| Distillate / diesel fuel (million gallons) | 3,904 | 3,115 | 3,700 | 3,826 | ||
| Water | | |||||
| Residual fuel oil (million gallons) | 8,952 | 6,326 | 6,410 | 3,874 | ||
| Distillate / diesel fuel oil (million gallons) | 1,478 | 2,065 | 2,261 | 2,217 | ||
| Gasoline (million gallons) | 1,052 | 1,300 | 1,124 | 1,107 | ||
| Pipeline | | |||||
| Natural gas (million cubic feet) | 634,622 | 659,816 | 642,210 | 664,973 | ||
Sources: Highway: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1 and similar tables in earlier editions.
Rail: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: October 2004), p. 40.
Water: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Fuel Oil and Kerosene Sales (Washington, DC: Annual issues), tables 2, 4, and similar tables in earlier editions.
Pipeline: U.S. Department of Energy, Natural Gas Annual 2003, DOE/EIA-0131(02) (Washington, DC: January 2005), table 15 and similar tables in earlier editions.
Table 5-7M (metric units)
Table in Excel format
|
1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2003 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highway | | |||||
| Gasoline, diesel and other fuels (million gallons) | 435,171 | 494,962 | 615,338 | 642,099 | ||
| Truck, total | 75,557 | 92,705 | 133,356 | 142,276 | ||
| Single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more truck | 26,206 | 31,635 | 36,200 | 40,467 | ||
| Combination truck | 49,350 | 61,070 | 97,156 | 101,809 | ||
| Truck (percent of total) | 17.4 | 18.7 | 21.7 | 22.2 | ||
| Rail, Class I (in freight service) | | |||||
| Distillate / diesel fuel (million liters) | 14,778 | 11,792 | 14,006 | 14,483 | ||
| Water | | |||||
| Residual fuel oil (million liters) | 33,887 | 23,947 | 24,264 | 14,665 | ||
| Distillate / diesel fuel oil (million liters) | 5,595 | 7,817 | 8,559 | 8,392 | ||
| Gasoline (million liters) | 3,982 | 4,921 | 4,255 | 4,192 | ||
| Pipeline | | |||||
| Natural gas (million cubic meters) | 17,970 | 18,684 | 18,185 | 18,830 | ||
Notes: 1 gallon = 3.8 liters; 1 cubic foot = 0.03 cubic meters.
Sources: Highway: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1 and similar tables in earlier editions.
Rail: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: October 2004), p. 40.
Water: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Fuel Oil and Kerosene Sales (Washington, DC: Annual issues), tables 2, 4, and similar tables in earlier editions.
Pipeline: U.S. Department of Energy, Natural Gas Annual 2003, DOE/EIA-0131(02) (Washington, DC: January 2005), table 15 and similar tables in earlier editions.
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