Tables 5-7 and 5-7M. Fuel Consumption by Transportation Mode: 1980-2005

The number of gallons of fuel burned by commercial trucks increased significantly over the past 25 years while fuel use in the water and pipeline modes declined. Between 1980 and 2005, the fuel consumed in highway freight transportation increased from 20 billion to 33 billion gallons annually. This is due to a substantial increase in the number of trucks on the road, an increase in the average number of miles traveled per truck, and a doubling of truck-miles traveled. Over the same period, fuel use in Class I freight railroads increased slightly from 3.9 billion gallons to 4.1 billion gallons.

Table 5-7 (standard units)

Table in Excel format | Historical data

	1980	1990	2000	2004	2005
Highway
Gasoline, diesel and other fuels (million gallons)	114,960	130,755	162,555	(R) 173,531	174,287
Truck, total	19,960	24,490	35,229	(R) 33,150	33,453
Single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more truck	6,923	8,357	9,563	(R) 8,959	9,042
Combination truck	13,037	16,133	25,666	(R) 24,191	24,411
Truck (percent of total)	17.4	18.7	21.7	(R) 19.1	19.2
Rail, Class I (in freight service)
Distillate / diesel fuel (million gallons)	3,904	3,115	3,700	4,059	4,098
Water
Residual fuel oil (million gallons)	8,952	6,326	6,410	4,690	5,179
Distillate / diesel fuel oil (million gallons)	1,478	2,065	2,261	2,140	2,006
Gasoline (million gallons)	1,052	1,300	1,124	(R) 1,033	1,261
Pipeline
Natural gas (million cubic feet)	634,622	659,816	642,210	(R) 566,187	584,779

Key: R = revised.

Sources:

Highway: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics 2005 (Washington, DC: 2005), table VM-1 and similar tables in earlier editions.

Rail: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), p. 40.

Water: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Fuel Oil and Kerosene Sales 2005 (Washington, DC: 2005), tables 2, 4, and similar tables in earlier editions.

Pipeline: U.S. Department of Energy, Natural Gas Annual 2005, DOE/EIA-0131(04) (Washington, DC: December 2005), table 15 and similar tables in earlier editions.

Table 5-7M (metric units)
Table in Excel format | Historical data

	1980	1990	2000	2004	2005
Highway
Gasoline, diesel and other fuels (million liters)	435,171	494,962	615,338	(R) 656,887	659,748
Truck, total	75,557	92,705	133,356	(R) 125,485	126,633
Single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more truck	26,206	31,635	36,200	(R) 33,912	34,229
Combination truck	49,350	61,070	97,156	(R) 91,573	92,404
Truck (percent of total)	17.4	18.7	21.7	(R) 19.1	19.2
Rail, Class I (in freight service)
Distillate / diesel fuel (million liters)	14,778	11,792	14,006	15,365	15,513
Water
Residual fuel oil (million liters)	33,887	23,947	24,264	17,754	19,605
Distillate / diesel fuel oil (million liters)	5,595	7,817	8,559	8,101	7,594
Gasoline (million liters)	3,982	4,921	4,255	(R) 3,909	4,773
Pipeline
Natural gas (million cubic meters)	17,970	18,684	18,185	(R) 16,033	16,559