Office of Operations Freight Management and Operations

Freight Facts and Figures 2008

Table 3-2. Number of U.S. Vehicles, Vessels, and Other Conveyances: 1980-2006

A vast number of vehicles and vessels move goods over the transportation network.  The number of commercial trucks climbed 52 percent between 1980 and 2006. In comparison, the number of rail freight cars has declined since 1980 with improved utilization and the deployment of larger cars.  The number of U.S. flag water vessels decreased by 59 percent over the same period while the world fleet expanded by 29 percent.

Table in Excel format | Historical data

Blank cell. 1980 1990 2000 2006
Highway 161,490,159 193,057,376 225,821,241 250,851,833
Truck, single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more 4,373,784 4,486,981 5,926,030 6,649,337
Truck, combination 1,416,869 1,708,895 2,096,619 2,169,670
Truck, total 5,790,653 6,195,876 8,022,649 8,819,007
Trucks as percent of all highway vehicles 3.6 3.2 3.6 3.5
Rail Blank cell. Blank cell. Blank cell. Blank cell.
Class I, locomotive 28,094 18,835 20,028 23,732
Class I, freight cars1 1,168,114 658,902 560,154 475,415
Non-class I freight cars1 102,161 103,527 132,448 120,688
Car companies and shippers freight cars1 440,552 449,832 688,194 750,404
Water 38,788 39,445 41,354 41,109
Nonself-propelled vessels2 31,662 31,209 33,152 32,211
Self-propelled vessels3 7,126 8,236 8,202 8,898
Oceangoing steam and motor ships4 864 636 454 347
U.S. Flag fleet as percent of world fleet4 3.5 2.7 1.6 1.1

1Beginning with 2001 data, Canadian-owned U.S. railroads are excluded. This accounted for approximately 47,000 cars in 2000.

2Nonself-propelled vessels include dry-cargo barges, tank barges, and railroad-car floats.

3Self-propelled vessels include dry cargo, passenger, off-shore support, tankers, and towboats.

41,000 gross tons and over.

Sources:

Highway: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: annual issues).

Rail: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: annual issues).

Water: Nonself-propelled vessels and self-propelled vessels: U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Transportation Lines of the United States, Volume 1, National Summaries (New Orleans, LA: annual issues).

Oceangoing steam motor ships and U.S. Flag fleet: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics (Washington, DC: annual issues).

 

 


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