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Freight Facts and Figures 2009

Table 3-2. Number of U.S. Vehicles, Vessels, and Other Conveyances: 1980-2007

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 2007
Highway 161,490,159 193,057,376 225,821,241 254,403,081
Truck, single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more 4,373,784 4,486,981 5,926,030 6,806,630
Truck, combination 1,416,869 1,708,895 2,096,619 2,220,995
Truck, total 5,790,653 6,195,876 8,022,649 9,027,625
Trucks as percent of all highway vehicles 3.6 3.2 3.6 3.5
Rail Empty cell. Empty cell. Empty cell. Empty cell.
Class I, locomotive 28,094 18,835 20,028 24,143
Class I, freight cars1 1,168,114 658,902 560,154 460,172
Non-class I freight cars1 102,161 103,527 132,448 120,463
Car companies and shippers freight cars1 440,552 449,832 688,194 805,074
Water 38,788 39,445 41,354 40,695
Nonself-propelled vessels2 31,662 31,209 33,152 31,654
Self-propelled vessels3 7,126 8,236 8,202 9,041
Oceangoing steam and motor ships4 864 636 454 216
U.S. Flag fleet as percent of world fleet4 3.5 2.7 1.6 0.7

1Beginning with 2001 data, Canadian-owned U.S. railroads are excluded. Canadian-owned U.S. railroads accounted for approximately 176,275 freight cars in 2009.

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), table VM-1, available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2007/ as of April 20, 2009.

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,table 1-23, available at www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_01_23.html as of April 20, 2009.

 

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