Office of Operations Freight Management and Operations

Freight Facts and Figures 2009

Table 5-10. Energy Intensities of Domestic Freight Transportation Modes: 1980-2007

Energy intensity is the amount of energy used in producing a given level of output or activity, in this case vehicle miles and ton miles.  Compared with 1980, the energy intensity of both trucking and freight rail has improved.  Domestic freight water transportation, measured by Btu per ton mile, has become less energy efficient.

Table in Excel format | Historical data

Blank cell. 1980 1990 2000 2006 2007
Highway (Btu per vehicle mile) 24,757 22,795 23,448 (R) 23,340 23,238
Railroad (Class I) (Btu per freight car mile) 18,742 16,619 14,917 14,990 14,846
Railroad (Class I) (Btu per ton mile) 597 420 352 330 320
Domestic water (Btu per ton mile) 358 387 473 571 NA

Key: Btu = British thermal unit; R = revised; NA = not available.

Source:

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 28 (Oak Ridge, TN: annual issues), table 2.16, available at cta.ornl.gov/data/index.shtml as of August 20, 2009.

 


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