Office of Operations Freight Management and Operations

Freight Facts and Figures 2009

Figure 4-2. Productivity in Selected Transportation Industries: 1987-2007

Productivity has improved in all modes, particularly railroads.  Between 1987 and 2007, output-per-hour worked more than doubled in line-haul railroading but grew only 35 percent in long-distance, general-freight trucking.  Line-haul railroads do not include switching and terminal operations or short-distance (or local) railroads.  Long-distance, general-freight trucking establishments exclude local trucking and truck operators that require specialized equipment, such as flatbeds, tankers, or refrigerated trailers.

 

Figure 4-2. Line graph. Data is described in text above and table below.

[PDF 66KB]

 

Data represented in the figure.

Table in Excel format

Output per Employee,1 Index: 1987 = 100

Output per hour worked 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Air transportation (R) 100 100 97 96 99 104 108 118 120 125 128 124 123 125 119 130 144 162 174 183 186
Line-haul railroads 100 108 115 119 128 140 145 150 156 167 170 173 179 194 207 224 (R) 235 (R) 240 (R) 231 (R) 245 234
General-freight trucking,
long-distance
100 101 100 104 108 114 112 115 112 111 117 116 116 119 120 125 129 129 132 (R) 132 135
Postal Service 100 99 99 104 103 105 108 108 108 106 110 112 113 116 117 117 119 121 122 122 123

Key: R = revised.

1Based on the number of paid hours. Real gross domestic product (GDP) in the business and nonfarm business sectors is the basis of the output components of the productivity measures. These output components are based on and are consistent with the National Income and Product Accounts, including the GDP measure, prepared by the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Note:

In 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revised its data for air transportation output per hour worked to include both full-time and part-time workers. Prior to 2009, BLS assumed all air transportation workers were full-time employees.

Source:

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Industry Productivity, available at www.bls.gov/lpc/ as of June 9, 2009.

 


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