Freight Facts and Figures 2009

Table 5-10. Energy Intensities of Domestic Freight Transportation Modes: 1980-2007

Energy intensity is the amount of energy used in producing a given level of output or activity, in this case vehicle miles and ton miles.  Compared with 1980, the energy intensity of both trucking and freight rail has improved.  Domestic freight water transportation, measured by Btu per ton mile, has become less energy efficient.

Table in Excel format | Historical data

	1980	1990	2000	2006	2007
Highway (Btu per vehicle mile)	24,757	22,795	23,448	(R) 23,340	23,238
Railroad (Class I) (Btu per freight car mile)	18,742	16,619	14,917	14,990	14,846
Railroad (Class I) (Btu per ton mile)	597	420	352	330	320
Domestic water (Btu per ton mile)	358	387	473	571	NA

Key: Btu = British thermal unit; R = revised; NA = not available.

Source:

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 28 (Oak Ridge, TN: annual issues), table 2.16, available at cta.ornl.gov/data/index.shtml as of August 20, 2009.

 

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