Freight Facts and Figures 2013
Table 3-3. Number of Trucks, Locomotives, Rail Cars, and Vessels: 1990, 2000, and 2008-2011
A vast number of vehicles and vessels move goods over the transportation network. The number of highway vehicles has remained relatively stable in recent years, while the number of rail cars has continued to decline with improved utilization and the deployment of larger cars.
Table 3-3
 |
1990 | 2000 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highway (all vehicles)1 | NA | NA | 255,917,664 | 254,212,610 | 250,070,048 | 253,108,389 |
| Truck, single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more | NA | NA | 8,288,046 | 8,356,097 | 8,217,189 | 7,819,055 |
| Truck, combination | NA | NA | 2,585,229 | 2,617,118 | 2,552,865 | 2,451,638 |
| Truck, total | NA | NA | 10,873,275 | 10,973,215 | 10,770,054 | 10,270,693 |
| Trucks as percent of all highway vehicles | NA | NA | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.1 |
| Rail | |
|
|
|
|
|
| Class I, locomotive | 18,835 | 20,028 | 24,003 | 24,045 | 23,893 | 24,250 |
| Class I, freight cars2 | 658,902 | 560,154 | 450,297 | 416,180 | 397,730 | 380,699 |
| Nonclass I, freight cars2 | 103,527 | 132,448 | 109,487 | 108,233 | 101,755 | 95,972 |
| Car companies and shippers freight cars2 | 449,832 | 688,194 | 833,188 | 839,020 | 809,544 | 806,554 |
| Water | 39,445 | 41,354 | 40,301 | 40,109 | 40,512 | 40,521 |
| Nonself-propelled vessels3 | 31,209 | 33,152 | 31,238 | 31,008 | 31,412 | 31,498 |
| Self-propelled vessels4 | 8,236 | 8,202 | 9,063 | 9,101 | 9,100 | 9,023 |
Key: NA= not available.
1 Based on a new methodology, FHWA revised its annual vehicle miles traveled, number of vehicles, and fuel economy data beginning with 2007. Information on the new methodology is available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm. Data in this table should not be compared to those in pre-2011 editions of Freight Facts and Figures.
2 Beginning with 2001 data, Canadian-owned U.S. railroads are excluded. Canadian-owned U.S. railroads accounted for over 46,000 freight cars in 2000.
3 Nonself-propelled vessels include dry-cargo barges, tank barges, and railroad-car floats.
4 Self-propelled vessels include dry cargo, passenger, off-shore support, tankers, and towboats.
Source:
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/2011/ as of September 11, 2013.
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: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Institute for Water Resources, Waterborne Transportation Lines of the United States, Volume 1, National Summaries (New Orleans, LA: annual issues), available at www.navigationdatacenter.us/veslchar/veslchar.htm as of September 24, 2013.
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