Freight Facts and Figures 2010
Table 3-2. Number of U.S. Vehicles, Vessels, and Other Conveyances: 1980-2008
A vast number of vehicles and vessels move goods over the transportation network. The number of commercial trucks climbed 56 percent between 1980 and 2008. In comparison, the number of rail freight cars declined with improved utilization and the deployment of larger cars. The number of U.S.-flag water vessels decreased by 69 percent over the same period while the world fleet expanded by 41 percent.
Table in Excel format | Historical data
 |
1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highway | 161,490,159 | 193,057,376 | 225,821,241 | 255,917,664 |
| Truck, single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more | 4,373,784 | 4,486,981 | 5,926,030 | 6,790,882 |
| Truck, combination | 1,416,869 | 1,708,895 | 2,096,619 | 2,215,856 |
| Truck, total | 5,790,653 | 6,195,876 | 8,022,649 | 9,006,738 |
| Trucks as percent of all highway vehicles | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.5 |
| Rail | |
|
|
|
| Class I, locomotive | 28,094 | 18,835 | 20,028 | 24,003 |
| Class I, freight cars1 | 1,168,114 | 658,902 | 560,154 | 450,297 |
| Nonclass I freight cars1 | 102,161 | 103,527 | 132,448 | 109,487 |
| Car companies and shippers freight cars1 | 440,552 | 449,832 | 688,194 | 833,188 |
| Water | 38,788 | 39,445 | 41,354 | 40,301 |
| Nonself-propelled vessels2 | 31,662 | 31,209 | 33,152 | 31,238 |
| Self-propelled vessels3 | 7,126 | 8,236 | 8,202 | 9,063 |
| Oceangoing steam and motor ships4 | 864 | 636 | 454 | 272 |
| U.S. Flag fleet as percent of world fleet4 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 0.8 |
1Beginning with 2001 data, Canadian-owned U.S. railroads are excluded. Canadian-owned U.S. railroads accounted for over 46,000 freight 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), table VM-1, available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2007/ as of July 7, 2010.
Rail: Locomotive: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: annual issues). Freight cars: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Equipment Report (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 July 7, 2010.
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