Office of Operations Freight Management and Operations
Publications

Freight Facts and Figures 2011 [PDF 26.7MB]

Quality Assurance Statement

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

Table of Contents

Introduction

CHAPTER I. THE NATION SERVED BY FREIGHT [PDF 876KB]

Introduction

Tables

Table 1-1. Economic and Social Characteristics of the United States: 1980-2009
Table 1-2. Population and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by Region: 1980-2009

CHAPTER II. FREIGHT TO BE MOVED AND TRADING PARTNERS [PDF 1.5MB]

Introduction

Tables

Table 2-1. Weight of Shipments by Transportation Mode: 2007, 2010, and 2040
Table 2-2. Value of Shipments by Transportation Mode: 2007, 2010, and 2040
Table 2-3. Top Commodities: 2007
Table 2-4. Hazardous Materials Shipments by Transportation Mode: 2007
Table 2-5. Hazardous Materials Shipments by Hazard Class: 2007
Table 2-6. Domestic Mode of Exports and Imports by Tonnage and Value: 2007 and 2040
Table 2-7. Top 25 Trading Partners of the United States in Merchandise Trade: 2000-2010
Table 2-8. Value and Tonnage of U.S. Merchandise Trade with Canada and Mexico by Transportation Mode: 2000-2010
Table 2-9. Value of U.S. Exports to and Imports from Canada and Mexico by Land Transportation Mode: 2000-2010

Figures

Figure 2-1. Value of Merchandise Trade by Coasts and Borders: 1951-2010
Figure 2-2. U.S. International Merchandise Trade by Transportation Mode: 2010

CHAPTER III. THE FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM [PDF 14MB]

Introduction

Tables

Table 3-1. Miles of Infrastructure by Transportation Mode: 1980-2009
Table 3-2. Number of U.S. Vehicles, Vessels, and Other Conveyances: 1980-2009
Table 3-3. Top 25 Airports by Landed Weight of All-Cargo Operations: 2000-2009
Table 3-4. Trucks and Truck Miles by Average Weight: 1987-2002
Table 3-5. Commercial Vehicle Weight Enforcement Activities: 2005-2010
Table 3-6. Annual Vehicle Distance Traveled by Highway Category and Vehicle Type: 2009
Table 3-7. Trucks, Truck Miles, and Average Distance by Range of Operations and Jurisdiction: 2002
Table 3-8. Truck Miles by Products Carried: 2002
Table 3-9. Top 20 Freight Highway Locations by Freight Congestion Index Rating: 2010
Table 3-10. Largest Improvements in Average Speed for Congested Freight Highway Locations: 2010
Table 3-11. Maximum Posted Speed Limits on Rural Interstates: 2011

Figures

Figure 3-1. Tonnage on Highways, Railroad, and Inland Waterways: 2007
Figure 3-2. Top 25 Foreign-Trade Freight Gateways by Value: 2009
Figure 3-3. Tonnage of Trailer-on-Flatcar and Container-on-Flatcar Rail Intermodal Moves: 2009
Figure 3-4. Top 25 Water Ports by Containerized Cargo: 2010
Figure 3-5. Top 25 Water Ports by Tonnage: 2009
Figure 3-6. Share of Highway Vehicle Miles Traveled by Vehicle Type: 2009
Figure 3-7. National Network for Conventional Combination Trucks: 2010
Figure 3-8. Permitted Longer Combination Vehicles on the National Highway System: 2010
Figure 3-9. Average Daily Long-Haul Truck Traffic on the National Highway System: 2007
Figure 3-10. Average Daily Long-Haul Truck Traffic on the National Highway System: 2040
Figure 3-11. Major Truck Routes on the National Highway System: 2007
Figure 3-12. Major Truck Routes on the National Highway System: 2040
Figure 3-13. Peak-Period Congestion on the National Highway System: 2007
Figure 3-14. Peak-Period Congestion on the National Highway System: 2040
Figure 3-15. Peak-Period Congestion on High-Volume Truck Portions of the National Highway System: 2007
Figure 3-16. Peak-Period Congestion on High-Volume Truck Portions of the National Highway System: 2040
Figure 3-17. Average Truck Speeds on Selected Interstate Highways: 2010

CHAPTER IV. THE FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY [PDF 1.3MB]

Introduction

Tables

Table 4-1. Transportation Fixed Assets: 2000-2010
Table 4-2. Economic Characteristics of Transportation and Warehousing Establishments in Freight-Dominated Modes:2002 and 2007
Table 4-3. Economic Characteristics of Freight Railroads: 2000 and 2009
Table 4-4. Employment in For-Hire Transportation Establishments Primarily Serving Freight: 1980-2010
Table 4-5. Employment in Selected Freight Transportation and Freight Transportation-Related Occupations: 2000-2010
Table 4-6. Producer Price Indices for Selected Transportation Services: 1990-2009

Figures

Figure 4-1. Productivity in Selected Transportation Industries: 1987-2009
Figure 4-2. Monthly Diesel Prices: January 1999-July 2011

CHAPTER V. SAFETY, ENERGY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION [PDF 2.7MB]

Introduction

Tables

Table 5-1. Fatalities by Freight Transportation Mode: 1980-2010
Table 5-2. Injured Persons by Freight Transportation Mode: 1980-2010
Table 5-3. Accidents by Freight Transportation Mode: 1980-2010
Table 5-4. Hazardous Materials Transportation Incidents: 1980-2010
Table 5-5. Commercial Motor Carrier Compliance Review Activity by Safety Rating: 2000-2010
Table 5-6. Roadside Safety Inspection Activity Summary by Inspection Type: 2000-2010
Table 5-7. Fuel Consumption by Transportation Mode: 2007-2009
Table 5-8. Energy Consumption by Selected Freight Transportation Mode: 2007-2009
Table 5-9. Single-Unit Truck Fuel Consumption and Travel: 2007-2009
Table 5-10. Combination Truck Fuel Consumption and Travel: 2007-2009
Table 5-11. Energy Intensities of Domestic Freight Transportation Modes: 2007-2009
Table 5-12. Estimated National Average Vehicle Emissions Rates of Heavy-Duty and Light-Duty Vehicles: 1990-2010
Table 5-13. Freight Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM-10) Emissions by Freight Transportation Mode: 2002
Table 5-14. Current and Projected Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) Emissions by Freight Transportation Mode: 2002 and 2020
Table 5-15. Current and Projected Particular Matter (PM-10) Emissions by Freight Transportation Mode: 2002 and 2020
Table 5-16. U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic End-Use Sector: 1990-2009
Table 5-17. U.S. Transportation Sector Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions from Fossil Fuel Combustion by Fuel Type: 1990-2009
Table 5-18. U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Domestic Freight Transportation: 1990-2009
Table 5-19. Medium- and Heavy-Duty Truck Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 1990-2009

APPENDIX A. SELECTED METRIC DATA [PDF 4.5MB]

Tables

Table 2-1M. Weight of Shipments by Transportation Mode: 2007, 2010, and 2040
Table 2-3M. Top Commodities: 2007
Table 2-4M. Hazardous Materials Shipments by Transportation Mode: 2007
Table 2-5M. Hazardous Materials Shipments by Hazard Class: 2007
Table 2-6M. Domestic Mode of Exports and Imports by Tonnage and Value: 2007 and 2040
Table 2-8M. Value and Tonnage of U.S. Merchandise Trade with Canada and Mexico by Transportation Mode: 1999-2010
Table 3-1M. Kilometers of Infrastructure by Transportation Mode: 1980-2009
Table 3-3M. Top 25 Airports by Landed Weight of All-Cargo Operations: 2000-2009
Table 3-4M. Trucks and Truck Kilometers by Average Weight: 1987-2002
Table 3-7M. Trucks, Truck Kilometers, and Average Distance by Range of Operations and Jurisdiction: 2002
Table 3-8M. Truck Kilometers by Products Carried: 2002
Table 5-7M. Fuel Consumption by Transportation Mode: 2007-2009
Table 5-9M. Single-Unit Truck Fuel Consumption and Travel: 2007-2009
Table 5-10M. Combination Truck Fuel Consumption and Travel: 2007-2008

Figure

Figure 2-2M. U.S. International Merchandise Trade by Transportation Mode: 2010

Technical Report Documentation Page

U.S. Department of Transportation: Federal Highway Administration

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration

Office of Freight Management and Operations
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590

Phone: 202-366-0408
Fax: 202-366-3225
Web site: www.freight.dot.gov

November 2011

FHWA-HOP-12-002

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange.  The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof.

You will need the Adobe Reader to view the PDFs on this page.

Office of Operations