2016 FREIGHT QUICK 

FACTS REPORT
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Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No. 

FHWA-HOP-16-083

2. Government Accession 

No.

3. Recipient’s Catalog No.

4. Title and Subtitle 

2016 Freight Quick Facts Report

5. Report Date

September 2016

6. Performing Organizations Code

7. Authors

 Leidos: Monica Worth

WSPǁParsons Brinckerhoff: Sebastian Guerrero, PhD, 

Alan Meyers

8. Performing Organization 

Report No.

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

Leidos

11251 Roger Bacon Drive 

Reston, VA 20190

 

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

11. Contract or Grant No.

 Contract No. 

DTFH61-11-D-00015/5012

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

Federal Highway Administration

U.S. Department of Transportation

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20590

13. Type of Report and Period 

Covered

Freight Quick Facts Report, 

Period 2016

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

HOTM-1

15. Supplementary Notes

16. Abstract

Our Nation’s freight transportation system consists of a vast network of roads, railways, 

navigable channels, and pipelines that connect hundreds of seaports, airports, and 

intermodal facilities in the movement of raw materials and finished products throughout the 

country. This report provides practitioners and the public at large with a user-friendly source 

of information about this vital system, focusing on answering a wide-range of freight-related 

questions, particularly about how the sector has changed over the past several years. Chapter 

1 provides an overview of the extent and usage of freight infrastructure in the United States. 

Chapter 2 discusses the impacts of this freight transportation system on the economy, 

environment, and society. Chapter 3 concludes by summarizing key freight trends and 

providing an overview of policy and funding issues in the sector.

17. Key Words

Freight, Goods Movement, Truck, Rail, Air Cargo, Marine 

Cargo, Pipeline

18. Distribution Statement 

 No restrictions. 

19. Security Classif. (of this report) 

Unclassified

20. Security Classif. (of this 

page) Unclassified

21. No of Pages

 48

22. Price 

 N/A

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................1

1. EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND HOW IT IS USED.....................................................3

Multimodal Perspective – Mode Share .............................................................................................3

Multimodal Perspective – Commodity Mode Shares .......................................................................4

Multimodal Perspective – Modal Trends ..........................................................................................5

Multimodal Perspective – Commodity Forecast...............................................................................7

Multimodal Perspective – International Trade....................................................................................8

Truck – Commodities Moved ............................................................................................................9

Truck – Sector Characteristics ........................................................................................................11

Rail – Commodities Moved...............................................................................................................13

Rail – Sector Characteristics ...........................................................................................................16

Waterborne – Commodities Moved .................................................................................................17

Waterborne – Main Ports..................................................................................................................19

Air – Commodities Moved ................................................................................................................22

Air – Main Airports.............................................................................................................................24

Pipeline – Commodities Moved .......................................................................................................25

2. IMPACTS AND PERFORMANCE...................................................................................... 27

Economic Impacts ............................................................................................................................27

Energy Consumption .......................................................................................................................29

Climate Change.................................................................................................................................30

Air Quality ..........................................................................................................................................31

Safety Impacts...................................................................................................................................32

Congestion Impacts..........................................................................................................................33

Roadway Condition...........................................................................................................................34

3. TRENDS, POLICY AND FUNDING ................................................................................... 35

Key Trends.........................................................................................................................................35

Policy Context ...................................................................................................................................36

Funding Overview..............................................................................................................................36
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Mode share by tonnage and value, 2015............................................................................... 3

Table 2. Commodity share of tons by mode, 2015. ............................................................................ 4

Table 3. Commodity share of value by mode, 2015............................................................................ 5

Table 4. Historical and forecasted mode share of ton-miles, 1990 to 2040...................................... 6

Table 5. Historical and forecasted tons and value, 2007 to 2045....................................................... 6

Table 6. Historical and forecasted commodity flows, 2007 to 2045................................................... 7

Table 7. Thousands of border crossings and average annual percentage change, 2000 to 2014... 8

Table 8. Top commodities moved by truck, 2007 to 2045.................................................................. 9

Table 9. Top commodities moved by truck, by value, 2007 to 2045.................................................10

Table 10. Truck vehicle miles traveled by roadway type, 2014...........................................................11

Table 11. Truck vehicle miles traveled and registrations, 2014...........................................................11

Table 12. Trends in truck vehicle miles traveled and registrations, 2007 to 2013 (percent)..............12

Table 13. Top commodities moved by rail, by tonnage, 2007 to 2045..............................................13

Table 14. Top commodities moved by rail, by value, 2007 to 2045...................................................14

Table 15. Rail intermodal vs carload, 2000 to 2014.............................................................................14

Table 16. Top carload commodities by rail service type, by ton miles, 2000 to 2014......................15

Table 17. Top intermodal commodities by rail service type, by ton miles, 2000 to 2014.................16

Table 18. Rail industry characteristics, 1990 to 2013..........................................................................17

Table 19. Top commodities moved by domestic and international waterborne, by tonnage, 

2007 to 2045...... ...................................................................................................................18

Table 20. Top commodities moved by domestic and international waterborne, by value, 

2007 to 2045.........................................................................................................................19

Table 21. Top ports by total tons, 2014............................................................................................... 20

Table 22. Top ports by twenty-foot equivalent units, 2015................................................................21

Table 23. Top commodities moved by domestic or international air, by tonnage, 2007 to 2045....22

Table 24. Top commodities moved by domestic or international air, by value, 2007 to 2045......... 23

Table 25. Top airports by air cargo, 2000 to 2013..............................................................................24

Table 26. Top commodities moved by pipeline, by tonnage, 2007 to 2045..................................... 25

Table 27. Top commodities moved by pipeline, by value, 2007 to 2045.......................................... 25

Table 28. Extent of pipeline network, 2004 to 2014........................................................................... 26

Table 29. Gross domestic product and employment in transportation, 2000 to 2013.................... 28

Table 30. Energy consumption by mode in trillion BTUs, 2007 to 2013........................................... 29

Table 31. Freight fuel efficiency, 1990 to 2013................................................................................... 29

Table 32. Greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, 2000 to 2014....................................... 30

Table 33. Freight greenhouse gas emissions, 2000 to 2014 (in million metric tons carbon 

dioxide equivalent)............................................................................................................... 30

Table 34. Emission rates for trucks and rail, 2015 to 2040.................................................................31
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

LIST OF TABLES (CONTINUED)

Table 35. Freight-related injuries and fatalities, 2000 to 2013........................................................... 32

Table 36. Highway congestion in urban areas, 2000 to 2014........................................................... 33

Table 37. Percent of roadway miles with an International Roughness Index over 170, 

2000 to 2013 (percent)......................................................................................................... 34

Table 38. Public sector expenditures by different transportation modes, 2000 to 2012................. 37

Table 39. Public sector revenues by different transportation modes, 2000 to 2012....................... 37

Table 40. Public expenditures by type and level of government, 2012............................................ 38
Source: Thinkstock
1

INTRODUCTION

Our Nation’s freight transportation system consists of a vast network of roads, railways, navigable channels, 

and pipelines that connect hundreds of seaports, airports, and intermodal facilities in the movement of raw 

materials and finished products throughout the country. The economic prosperity and competitiveness of 

America is inherently dependent on the efficiency and performance of this complex conveyor system. 

This report provides practitioners and the public at large with a user-friendly source of information about 

this vital system. The report draws from a variety of sources and publications, including the draft National 

Freight Strategic Plan (NFSP) (https://www.transportation.gov/freight/NFSP), the Freight Facts and 

Figures 2015 Report (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/data_and_statistics/by_subject/

freight/freight_facts_2015/), the National Transportation Statistics publication (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/

sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_statistics/index.html) and Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA) Office of Policy website (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/). 

The objective of this report is to provide basic information that answers a wide range of freight-related 

questions, particularly about how the sector is rapidly evolving. For example, the economic recession of 2008 

precipitated declines in freight modes used to move consumer goods, although several markets rebounded 

strongly. The changing energy landscape of the country—from increasing domestic production and declining 

coal consumption—will continue driving changes in freight demand into the future, particularly for railroads 

and pipelines. The evolving nature of globalization and trade is reshaping the geography of shipments, placing 

increased importance on border crossings and gateway infrastructure. These and many other changes to the 

structure of the economy are happening at the same time that the technology and best practices for moving 

freight are improving, leading to more efficient, responsive, and sustainable supply chains. 

To describe these and other freight realities, the document is organized into the following three chapters. 

Chapter 1 provides an overview of the extent and usage of freight infrastructure in the United States. 

Chapter 2 discusses the impacts of this freight transportation system on the economy, environment, and 

society. Chapter 3 concludes by summarizing key freight trends and providing an overview of the policy and 

funding environment in the sector, which is currently evolving in response to the landmark Fixing America’s 

Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) introduced last year. Having reliable and timely information about 

our freight transportation system is fundamental to navigating this changing environment. 

To remain concise, this document does not discuss at length the caveats of the data sources used. Please see 

the original referenced sources for additional details and analysis.

 

3

Multimodal Perspective – Mode Share 

The freight transportation system relies on a variety of modes to support domestic and international supplychains. As shown in Table 1, trucks carry the majority of freight in the continental United States, both by 

tonnage and value. Pipelines carry the second largest tonnage, although this mode involves only specific 

liquid and gaseous commodities. The commodities moved by truck and air tend to have a higher value per 

ton, giving these modes a higher share in terms of value. In interpreting this table, it is important to keep in 

mind that most goods rely on multiple freight modes throughout the supply chain.

Table 1. Mode share by tonnage and value, 2015.

Domestic Mode

Millions of Tons Billions of 2015 USD

Domestic OnlyExportImportTotalDomestic OnlyExportImportTotal

Air (include truck-air) 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 17% 14% 4%

Multiple modes & mail 2% 5% 3% 2% 12% 6% 6% 11%

Other and unknown 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 2% 0%

Pipeline 19% 13% 16% 18% 9% 4% 4% 8%

Rail 9% 15% 9% 9% 3% 5% 5% 3%

Truck 66% 52% 35% 64% 73% 57% 53% 69%

Water 4% 15% 11% 5% 2% 10% 9% 4%

No domestic mode 0% 0% 25% 2% 0% 0% 7% 1%

Total 16,045 912 1,099 18,056 15,558 1,745 2,567 19,871

USD= U.S. dollars

Source: BTS and FHWA Freight Analysis Framework 4.2 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm).

Table 1 also provides a breakdown of freight flows by whether they are part of an international supply chain 

(exports or imports) or have domestic origins and destinations. Overall, exports represent 8.8 percent of 

value shipped and imports represent 12.9 percent. In terms of tonnage, these proportions are 5.0 percent and 

6.1 percent, respectively. 

Measuring commodity flows in terms of tonnage is useful for assessing infrastructure requirements (how 

much needs to be moved), while measuring the economic value of the flows is more useful in highlighting 

economic impacts and interdependencies. However, measuring the value of flows has the drawback 

that many factors can lead to year-over-year changes, including changes in the prices of the underlying 

commodities. Therefore, where possible, this document reports both tonnage and value. 

1. EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND 

HOW IT IS USED
4

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Multimodal Perspective – Commodity Mode Shares

The patterns of production and consumption in an economy are the primary drivers of freight mode share. 

Table 2 shows the mode shares of the top 15 commodities in terms of tonnage, which account for 80.5 

percent of all tons shipped in 2015. The commodity groups reported in this document follow the two-digit 

Standard Classification of Transported Goods (SCTG) definitions. Pipelines are the primary shipping 

medium for natural gas, gasoline, fuel oils, and crude petroleum. Rail is used primarily for coal, cereal 

grains, basic chemicals, and other bulk products. Trucks are involved in the supply chains of almost all 

commodities, particularly for consumer goods that need to be delivered to retail locations. 

Table 2. Commodity share of tons by mode, 2015.

Rank

Top Commodities 

by Tonnage

Mode (percent) Millions 

Air Pipeline Rail Truck Water Other of Tons 

1 Coal-n.e.c. 0 80 2 15 2 0 2,647.0 

2 Gravel 0 0 4 90 3 2 1,820.3 

3 Gasoline 0 31 2 59 7 1 1,227.2 

4 Cereal grains 0 0 18 77 4 2 1,099.0 

5 Nonmetal mineral 

products 0 0 4 94 1 2 1,072.6 

6 Fuel oils 0 29 2 51 17 1 1,054.4 

7 Coal 0 0 61 23 8 8 1,001.1 

8 Crude petroleum 0 50 4 3 13 30 903.4 

9 Other foodstuffs 0 0 7 89 1 3 704.1 

10 Waste/scrap 0 0 5 92 2 2 652.9 

11 Natural sands 0 0 4 94 1 1 562.0 

12 Other agricultural 

products 0 0 5 86 4 5 554.4 

13 Wood products 0 0 6 90 0 3 433.2 

14 Basic chemicals 0 8 27 50 13 1 408.6 

15 Mixed freight 0 0 0 97 0 2 386.1 

Other 0 0 10 82 3 4 3,529.6 

Total 0 18 9 64 5 4 18,055.9 

n.e.c.=not elsewhere classified

Source: BTS and FHWA Freight Analysis Framework 4.2 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm). 

Note: FAF made specific revisions to its modal and commodity definitions from 2007 (version 3) to 2015 (version 4); however, these changes are 

unlikely to alter significantly the tendency of the historical results shown in this table. Value was adjusted for inflation. 

Other includes: multiple modes & mail, no domestic mode, and other, and unknown.
5

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Table 3 shows the top 15 commodities moved by value and the freight modes used. These top 15 

commodities account for 73 percent of all value shipped. Trucks overwhelmingly transport high-value 

commodities such as electronics, mixed freight shipments, vehicles, and machinery. Air shows up 

prominently in this table, especially for higher-value, time-sensitive commodities such as electronics, 

machinery, pharmaceuticals, and precision instruments.

Table 3. Commodity share of value by mode, 2015.

Rank

Top Commodities 

by Value

Mode (percent) Billions 

of Dollars 

Air Pipeline Rail Truck Water Other (2015)

1 Electronics 15 0 0 62 2 21 1726.9

2 Motorized vehicles 1 0 7 77 2 13 1513.9

3 Mixed freight 1 0 0 90 2 7 1505.4

4 Machinery 7 0 1 77 3 12 1185.4

5 Gasoline 0 31 2 59 7 1 1165.3

6 Coal-n.e.c. 0 57 3 35 4 1 967.8

7 Pharmaceuticals 8 0 0 53 1 38 932.2

8 Fuel oils 0 27 1 56 15 1 880.1

9 Misc. mfg. prods. 7 0 0 65 1 26 816.3

10 Other foodstuffs 0 0 5 91 1 3 733.2

11 Plastics/rubber 1 0 12 76 2 9 732.8

12 Textiles/leather 2 0 0 73 3 22 673.4

13 Crude petroleum 0 49 4 3 14 31 610.5

14 Base metals 1 0 8 85 2 5 560.8

15 Precision instruments 20 0 0 44 2 35 492.7

Other commodities 3 1 6 79 3 8 5373.9

Total 4 8 3 69 4 12 19870.7

n.e.c.=not elsewhere classified

Source: BTS and FHWA Freight Analysis Framework 4.2 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm). 

Note: Other includes: multiple modes & mail, no domestic mode, and other and unknown.

Multimodal Perspective – Modal Trends 

Freight volumes increased rapidly throughout most of the 1990s and 2000s as shown in Table 4. Even though 

the economic recession of 2008 temporarily decreased freight ton-miles, after 2010 growth has rebounded 

strongly to pre-recession averages. Looking into the future, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)

forecasts total ton-miles to grow at 1 percent per year through 2040. Projections of steady economic growth 

(the economy doubling in size by 2045) and population growth (an additional 68 million people by 2045) 

will drive this increase in freight transportation demand. 

The USDOT expects different freight modes to grow at different rates. Trucks have been rapidly gaining 

mode share since 1990 and will continue to do so out to 2040. Rail has also been steadily gaining mode 

share over the last two decades, although the USDOT expects these advances to slow down in the medium 

term and reverse in the long term, as several key bulk commodities play a smaller role in the economy (refer 

to page 6). 
6

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Table 4. Historical and forecasted mode share of ton-miles, 1990 to 2040.

Domestic 

Mode

Ton-Miles Mode Share Average Annual Growth Rate (percent)

1990 2000 2010 2015 2040

Historical Forecast

1990 to 

2000

2000 to 

2010

2010 to 

2015

2015 to 

2040

Truck 36.4% 42.3% 44.0% 46.5% 54.4% 3.2 1.0 3.0 1.6

Railroad 22.9% 28.1% 29.4% 28.7% 25.9% 3.8 1.1 1.4 0.6

Pipeline 22.0% 17.3% 17.0% 16.7% 12.1% -0.8 0.5 1.5 -0.3

Domestic Water 

Transportation 17.9% 11.5% 8.8% 7.4% 6.8% -2.8 -2.0 -1.8 0.6

Air 0.8% 0.7% 0.8% 0.7% 0.7% 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.8

Total TonMiles (trillions) 4.77 5.62 5.98 6.56 8.39 1.6 0.6 1.9 1.0

Source: Draft National Freight Strategic Plan (https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/draft_NFSP_for_Public_

Comment_508_102015201520v1.pdf ), BTS Special Tabulation, Figure 4.

Table 5 shows that, from 2007 to 2015, substantial decreases in tons shipped for almost all modes occurred 

because of the economic recession. Pipelines, which saw almost double-digit growth from the boom in 

natural gas and petroleum production, are one exception; however, as shown in Table 4, The Freight Analysis 

Framework (FAF) forecasts pipelines to grow at a slower pace in the coming decades, mainly in response 

to volatility in the energy markets. Air cargo tons and value have also grown quickly over the past several 

years—a trend that is expected to continue out to 2045. 

Table 5. Historical and forecasted tons and value, 2007 to 2045.

Domestic Mode

Historical Average Annual Growth 

Rate 2007 to 2015 (percent)

Forecasted Average Annual Growth 

Rate 2015 to 2045 (percent)

Tons Value Tons Value

Air (include truck-air) 4.4 9.1 4.1 4.8

Multiple modes & mail -4.7 0.0 1.6 2.4

No domestic mode -1.2 2.7 0.3 0.3

Other and unknown -24.5 -20.6 -0.3 4.7

Pipeline 9.0 6.5 1.1 0.7

Rail -2.2 0.4 0.7 2.0

Truck -1.8 -0.2 1.2 2.1

Water 3.1 14.5 1.1 2.6

Total -0.6 0.5 1.1 2.2

Source: USDOT, Draft National Freight Strategic Plan, BTS Special Tabulation, Figure 4. (https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/

Draft_NFSP_for_Public_Comment_508_10%2015%2015%20v1.pdf). 

Note: FAF made specific revisions to its modal and commodity definitions from 2007 to 2015; however, these changes are unlikely to alter significantly 

the tendency of the historical results shown in this table. Value was adjusted for inflation.
7

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Multimodal Perspective – Commodity Forecast

The FAF developed forecasts by projecting the level of economic activity in each commodity-producing 

industry and deriving freight transportation requirements. Table 6 provides a summary of these commoditylevel projections. From 2007 to 2015, the economic recession depressed the flows of most commodities. The 

commodities that decreased the most in tonnage were waste/scrap, cereal grains, coal, gravel, and nonmetal 

mineral products. At the same time, measured by value, several commodities grew consistently over this 

period, such as mixed freight, gasoline, coal-n.e.c. (not elsewhere classified—mostly natural gas and petroleum 

products), fuel oils, and crude petroleum. Note that some of the growth in coal-n.e.c. can be attributed to a 

change in how activity was measured in the FAF; however, there has clearly been a rapid increase in natural 

gas production over the past five years. 

Looking into the future, FAF forecasts tonnage growth in coal-n.e.c., nonmetal mineral products, other 

foodstuffs, waste/scrap, and basic chemicals. In terms of value, significant growth is expected from electronics, 

machinery, pharmaceuticals, and miscellaneous manufacturing products. Growth in these high value 

commodities will drive mode share increases for air (Table 5), while declines in bulk commodities will have a 

negative impact on rail mode share. 

Table 6. Historical and forecasted commodity flows, 2007 to 2045. 

Rank

Top Commodities by 

Tons

Tons

Rank

Top Commodities 

by Value

Value

Historical 

Average 

Annual 

Growth 

Rate 2007 

to 2015 

(percent)

Forecasted 

Average 

Annual 

Growth 

Rate 2015 

to 2045 

(percent)

Historical 

Average 

Annual 

Growth 

Rate 2007 

to 2015 

(percent)

Forecasted 

Average 

Annual 

Growth 

Rate 2015 

to 2045 

(percent)

1 Coal-n.e.c. 9.3 1.5 1 Electronics 0.7 3.8

2 Gravel -2.7 1.0 2 Motorized vehicles 0.6 1.3

3 Gasoline 2.5 -0.5 3 Mixed freight 2.7 1.7

4 Cereal grains -3.6 0.9 4 Machinery -6.4 3.3

5 Nonmetal min. prods. -3.2 1.6 5 Gasoline 5.0 -0.6

6 Fuel oils 4.4 -0.3 6 Coal-n.e.c. 6.5 1.5

7 Coal -4.5 -1.0 7 Pharmaceuticals -1.0 3.4

8 Crude petroleum 1.0 -0.1 8 Fuel oils 8.0 -0.4

9 Other foodstuffs 3.4 1.8 9 Misc. mfg. products 0.4 3.0

10 Waste/scrap -8.5 1.7 10 Other foodstuffs 1.9 2.0

11 Natural sands -0.2 1.4 11 Plastics/rubber 1.3 2.5

12 Other ag prods. 3.0 1.6 12 Textiles/leather -2.1 1.1

13 Wood prods. 0.5 0.8 13 Crude petroleum 4.8 -0.1

14 Basic chemicals -1.6 2.0 14 Base metals -1.6 1.4

15 Mixed freight 1.5 1.5 15 Precision instruments 1.4 4.5

Other commodities -2.5 1.8 Other commodities -0.3 2.1

Total -0.6 1.1 Total 0.5 2.2

n.e.c.=not elsewhere classified, ag=agricultural, mfg.=manufacturing, min=mineral, prods=products

Data Source: BTS and FHWA, Freight Analysis Framework, version 3.5 and 4.2, 2016 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm). 

Note: FAF made specific revisions to its modal and commodity definitions from 2007 (version 3) to 2015 (version 4); however, these changes are unlikely 

to alter significantly the tendency of the historical results shown in this table. Value was adjusted for inflation.
8

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Multimodal Perspective – International Trade

Trade with other countries has increased rapidly in recent decades, bringing the value of exports and imports 

to a total of $3.9 trillion in 2013. The freight transportation sector plays a critical role in connecting the 

U.S. economy to the rest of the world and ensuring the competitiveness of American businesses. 

With the implementation of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and increasing regional 

economic integration, U.S. border crossings have become an ever more important part of the freight 

transportation system. Trade by land between the United States and Mexico quadrupled in value from 1995 

to 2014. Table 7 shows that each year around 11.2 million trucks and 2.0 million rail containers cross the 

Mexican or Canadian borders. Since 2010, truck crossings have increased at the fast pace of 2.4 percent per 

year and rail container crossings have grown at the impressive rate of 7.6 percent per year. Freight activity 

at the borders has rebounded strongly since the economic recession of 2008, with most of the gains coming 

from trade with Mexico. 

Table 7. Thousands of border crossings and average annual percentage change, 2000 to 2014. 

Type of 

Border Shipment Type 2000 2010 2014

Annual Average 

Growth Rate (percent)

2000 to 

2010

2010 to 

2014

Canadian 

Border

Trucks 7,048 5,444 5,802 -2.5 1.6

Loaded truck containers 5,335 4,171 4,145 -2.4 -0.2

Trains 33 26 29 -2.4 2.8

Loaded rail containers 1,215 1,209 1,575 0.0 6.8

Mexican 

Border

Trucks 4,526 4,743 5,415 0.5 3.4

Loaded truck containers 2,350 3,174 3,779 3.1 4.5

Trains 7 8 10 1.3 5.7

Loaded rail containers 266 318 474 1.8 10.5

Both 

Borders

Trucks 11,574 10,187 11,217 -1.3 2.4

Loaded truck containers 7,685 7,345 7,924 -0.5 1.9

Trains 40 34 39 -1.6 3.5

Loaded rail containers 1,481 1,527 2,049 0.3 7.6

Source: BTS Freight Facts and Figures 2015 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm), Table 2-11. 

Note: “Number of trains” includes both passenger and freight trains.
9

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Truck – Commodities Moved 

Trucks carry 64 percent of the tons and 69 percent of the value moved in the United States. As shown in 

Table 8, the top commodities moved by truck are gravel, nonmetallic mineral products, and cereal grains, 

which together represent more than 30 percent of all truck tons; however, from 2007 to 2015 all three of 

these commodities saw significant declines, leading overall truck tons to decline at an average rate of 

1.8 percent during this period, despite commodities such as gasoline, other foodstuffs, and fuel oils 

increasing. The FAF predicts a rebound in truck tons over the coming decades, with an average growth rate 

of 1.2 percent per year. 

On the other hand, as seen in Table 9, the top commodities in terms of value are mixed freight, motorized 

vehicles, and electronics. These three commodities saw moderate growth from 2007 to 2015; however, the 

fourth top commodity, machinery, saw a precipitous decline during this time. The FAF forecast predicts 

strong growth in electronics, pharmaceuticals, miscellaneous manufactured products, and a sharp rebound 

in machinery freight during the 2015-2045 period.

Table 8. Top commodities moved by truck, 2007 to 2045. 

Rank

Top Commodities 

by Tonnage

Million 

Tons 2015

Percent of 

Tons

Average Annual Growth Rate 

(percent)

Historical 

(2007 to 2015)

Forecasted 

(2015 to 2045)

1 Gravel 1,643 14.3 -2.7 1.0

2 Nonmetal mineral products 1,004 8.7 -3.4 1.6

3 Cereal grains 844 7.3 -4.1 0.8

4 Gasoline 719 6.2 2.6 -1.0

5 Other foodstuffs 630 5.5 3.3 1.8

6 Waste/scrap 599 5.2 -8.8 1.6

7 Fuel oils 541 4.7 4.6 -0.9

8 Natural sands 527 4.6 0.3 1.5

9 Other agricultural products 479 4.2 3.5 1.5

10 Coal-n.e.c. 407 3.5 -1.1 1.5

11 Wood products 390 3.4 0.8 0.7

12 Mixed freight 375 3.3 1.5 1.4

13 Logs 317 2.8 -5.8 0.9

14 Animal feed 299 2.6 3.8 1.4

15 Base metals 297 2.6 -1.4 1.4

Other commodities 2,442 21.2 -2.6 1.7

Total 11,513 100.0 -1.8 1.2

n.e.c.=not elsewhere classified, USD=U.S. dollars

Source: BTS and FHWA Freight Analysis Framework, version 3.5 and 4.2, 2016 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm). 

Note: FAF made specific revisions to its modal and commodity definitions from 2007 (version 3) to 2015 (version 4); however, these changes are 

unlikely to alter significantly the tendency of the historical results shown in this table. Value was adjusted for inflation..
10

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Table 9. Top commodities moved by truck, by value, 2007 to 2045. 

Rank

Top Commodities 

by Value

Billion USD 

2015

Percent of 

USD

Average Annual Growth Rate 

(percent)

Historical 

(2007 to 2015)

Forecasted 

(2015 to 2045)

1 Mixed freight 1,315 9.9 3.8 1.5

2 Motorized vehicles 1,131 8.5 2.5 1.2

3 Electronics 1,029 7.8 1.9 3.7

4 Machinery 882 6.6 -6.5 3.1

5 Gasoline 671 5.1 6.1 -1.0

6 Other foodstuffs 646 4.9 2.9 1.9

7 Plastics/rubber 537 4.0 2.5 2.3

8 Misc. manufactured products 516 3.9 1.6 3.1

9 Pharmaceuticals 477 3.6 -3.0 3.2

10 Fuel oils 475 3.6 9.6 -1.0

11 Textiles/leather 474 3.6 -0.9 1.0

12 Base metals 461 3.5 0.3 1.4

13 Articles-base metal 380 2.9 -3.0 2.0

14 Furniture 361 2.7 7.2 2.5

15 Chemical products. 358 2.7 0.7 2.6

Other 3,553 26.8 1.1 1.9

Total 13,267 100.0 1.1 2.1

USD=United States Dollar

Source: BTS and FHWA Freight Analysis Framework 3.5 and 4.2 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm).

Note: FAF made specific revisions to its modal and commodity definitions from 2007 (version 3) to 2015 (version 4); however, these changes are 

unlikely to alter significantly the tendency of the historical results shown in this table. Value was adjusted for inflation.

Source: Thinkstock
11

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Truck – Sector Characteristics 

The truck fleet in service is highly diverse and provides a variety of functions throughout the country. As shown 

in Table 10, single-unit trucks travel more frequently on urban roads than combination trucks, as they are used 

more frequently for urban deliveries. On the other hand, combination trucks travel more frequently on intercity 

routes, accruing more mileage on interstate highways. 

Table 10. Truck vehicle miles traveled by roadway type, 2014. 

Roadway Type

Single-Unit Trucks Combination Trucks All Vehicles

Billion 

VMT Percent

Billion 

VMT Percent

Billion 

VMT Percent

Rural - Total 42.7 39 89.5 53 234.3 30

 Rural - Interstate 9.3 8 46.8 28 355.1 8

 Rural - Arterial 16.3 15 29.3 17 334.4 12

 Rural - Other 17.1 16 13.4 8 920.9 11

Urban - Total 66.6 61 80.4 47 519.8 70

 Urban - Interstate 16.5 15 40.9 24 1,584.9 17

 Urban - Other 50.1 46 39.5 23 2,104.7 52

Total Urban and Rural 109.3 100 169.8 100 3,025.7 100

VMT = vehicle miles traveled 

Source: FHWA Highway Statistics 2014, Table VM-1 (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2014/vm1.cfm).

Note: Single-units trucks have two axles and at least six tires or a gross vehicle weight rating exceeding 10,000 lbs.

As shown in Table 11, combination trucks and single-unit trucks account for 9.2 percent of total miles driven in 

the United States in 2014. In that year, 8.3 million single-unit trucks and 2.5 million combination trucks were 

registered. On average, combination trucks drove around six times more miles per year than single-unit trucks.

Table 11. Truck vehicle miles traveled and registrations, 2014. 

Vehicle Type

Urban and Rural Miles Registered Vehicles Average VMT 

Billion VMT Percent Billion VMT Percent per year

Single-unit trucks 109.3 3.6 8.33 3.2 13,123

Combination trucks 169.8 5.6 2.58 1.0 65,897

All Vehicles 3,025.7 100.0 260.4 100.0 11,621

VMT = vehicle miles traveled 

Source: FHWA Highway Statistics 2014, Table VM-1, (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2014/vm1.cfm).
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

As can be seen in Table 12, total truck miles decreased from 2007 to 2010 primarily due to the effects of the 

economic recession. Single-unit truck vehicle miles traveled (VMT) decreased more quickly than VMT for 

combination trucks. The mileage traveled by all vehicles in the United States decreased as well, albeit not as 

quickly. Since 2010, most of the increase in truck travel has been on urban interstate highways, where truck 

traffic is growing at a pace much faster than general traffic, while declines in truck travel have occurred on 

rural interstates and non-interstate roads.

Table 12. Trends in truck vehicle miles traveled and registrations, 2007 to 2013 (percent). 

Variables

Urban Rural

All 

Interstate Roads

NonInterstate InterstateNonInterstate

Average 

Annual 

Growth 

Rate 2007 

to 2010

System lane-miles 1.12 1.69 0.02 0.02 0.49

Single-unit truck VMT -4.51 -3.08 0.45 -2.16 -2.64

Combination truck VMT -2.70 -0.36 -2.62 -0.55 -1.55

All vehicle VMT -0.38 -0.21 -1.42 -1.66 -0.71

Average 

Annual 

Growth 

Rate 2010 

to 2013

System lane-miles 2.34 2.35 -0.74 -0.56 0.29

Single-unit truck VMT 2.27 -0.07 -6.21 -2.88 -1.27

Combination truck VMT 3.29 -2.68 -0.74 -4.73 -1.41

All vehicle VMT 1.88 0.79 -1.57 -1.41 0.24

VMT = vehicle miles traveled

Source: FHWA Highway Statistics 2007 - 2014, Table VM-1 (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2014/vm1.cfm).

Currently in the United States, more than 4 million centerline miles of public roads exist, of which 230,000 

are interstates or high-volume highways. Roadway lane miles increased at 0.5 percent per year from 2007 

to 2010 and 0.3 percent per year from 2010 through 2013. The roadway network also includes more than 

600,000 bridges.
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Rail – Commodities Moved

Rail moves 9.0 percent of tons and 3.0 percent of freight value in the United States. The single most 

important commodity for rail is coal. As can be seen in Table 13, in 2015 coal accounted for 36.3 percent of 

all tons moved. However, from 2007 to 2015, shipments of coal have been declining rapidly, averaging 

6.1 percent per year. The FAF predicts that these declines will continue as the energy mix within the United 

States changes in response to more stringent environmental regulations and the emergence of alternative 

energy sources.

Declines in coal shipments from 2007 to 2015 were partially offset by increases in shipments of other energy 

products, such as crude petroleum and gasoline, because pipeline capacity could not accommodate the boom 

in domestic production. However, this is unlikely to continue as pipeline capacity catches up to demand and 

uncertainty in world oil markets makes U.S. crude less competitive. Shipments of other commodities such as 

cereal grains, fertilizers, plastic/rubber, and other foodstuffs have increased since 2007 and are expected to 

continue increasing out to 2045. 

Table 13. Top commodities moved by rail, by tonnage, 2007 to 2045. 

Rank

Top Commodities 

by Tonnage

Million 

Tons 2015

Percent of 

Tons

Average Annual Growth Rate 

(percent)

Historical 

(2007 to 2015)

Forecasted 

(2015 to 2045)

1 Coal 615.0 36.3 -6.1 -1.3

2 Cereal grains 197.7 11.7 2.3 0.8

3 Basic chemicals 111.7 6.6 -0.8 2.1

4 Gravel 79.0 4.7 0.2 0.7

5 Fertilizers 69.7 4.1 5.4 1.5

6 Plastics/rubber 58.4 3.4 2.8 2.9

7 Metallic ores 56.5 3.3 -0.2 0.5

8 Other foodstuffs 48.8 2.9 5.9 2.1

9 Coal-n.e.c. 47.9 2.8 -6.9 1.6

10 Base metals 45.1 2.7 -2.9 1.3

11 Nonmetal mineral products 38.0 2.2 6.6 1.7

12 Crude petroleum 35.8 2.1 65.3 -0.9

13 Waste/scrap 30.7 1.8 -4.0 1.6

14 Wood products 28.1 1.7 -2.3 2.0

15 Other agricultural products 26.1 1.5 5.3 1.7

Other 205.2 12.1 -0.1 1.8

Total 1,693.5 100.0 -2.2 0.7

n.e.c.=not elsewhere classified, USD=U.S. dollars

Source: BTS and FHWA Freight Analysis Framework, version 3.5 and 4.2, 2016 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm).

Note: FAF made specific revisions to its modal and commodity definitions from 2007 (version 3) to 2015 (version 4); however, these changes are 

unlikely to alter significantly the tendency of the historical results shown in this table.Value was adjusted for inflation. 
14

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Table 14. Top commodities moved by rail, by value, 2007 to 2045. 

Rank

Top Commodities 

by Value

Billion 

USD 2015

Percent 

of USD

Average Annual Growth Rate (percent)

Historical 

(2007 to 2015)

Forecasted 

(2015 to 2045)

1 Motorized vehicles 103.3 15.2 -3.6 2.1

2 Plastics/rubber 86.5 12.8 3.5 3.1

3 Basic chemicals 80.7 11.9 0.1 2.3

4 Cereal grains 53.6 7.9 6.4 0.9

5 Base metals 44.3 6.5 -4.9 1.4

6 Other foodstuffs 33.6 4.9 8.7 2.4

7 Coal-n.e.c. 30.1 4.4 -4.5 1.6

8 Crude petroleum 24.7 3.6 71.4 -0.9

9 Coal 23.7 3.5 -2.8 -1.0

10 Fertilizers 23.1 3.4 8.3 1.7

11 Gasoline 18.7 2.8 14.9 1.9

12 Newsprint/paper 17.6 2.6 -2.0 1.5

13 Other agricultural products 15.2 2.2 8.4 2.0

14 Chemical products 12.6 1.9 1.4 3.0

15 Machinery 11.2 1.6 -3.0 4.1

Other 99.4 14.7 -1.1 2.2

Total 678.3 100.0 0.4 2.0

n.e.c.=not elsewhere classified, USD=U.S. dollars

Source: BTS and FHWA, Freight Analysis Framework, version 3.5 and 4.1, 2016 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm).

Note: FAF made specific revisions to its modal and commodity definitions from 2007 to 2015; however, these changes are unlikely to alter significantly 

the tendency of the historical results shown in this table. 

Faced with declines and slow growth in coal and other bulk commodities transported by carload service, 

railroads have generally adopted the strategy of improving the competitiveness of their intermodal service 

to gain market share from trucks. Railroads have accomplished this by reducing travel times, improving 

reliability, and serving a wider variety of markets. As can be seen in Table 15, the majority of freight still used 

carload service, representing 90 percent of tons and 84 percent of ton-miles. However, since 2000 there has 

been a steady increase in the proportion of intermodal freight in terms of both tons and ton-miles. At the same 

time, rail shipments appear to be growing in length as railroads connect markets farther away from each other. 

Table 15. Rail intermodal vs carload, 2000 to 2014. 

Variables 2000 2010 2014

Average Annual Growth Rate (percent)

2000 to 2010 2010 to 2014

Total Rail Tons (billion) 2.02 1.85 1.88 -0.9 0.5

 Share Carload Tons 91.9 91.3 89.8 - -

 Share Intermodal Tons 8.1 8.7 10.2 - -

Total Rail Ton-mile (trillion) 1.51 1.69 1.81 1.1 1.7

 Share Carload Ton-miles 84.4 84.8 83.5 - -

 Share Intermodal Ton-miles 15.6 15.2 16.5 - -

Rail Length of Haul (miles) 748 916 963 2.0 1.3

 Carload Length of Haul (miles) 688 851 896 2.2 1.3

 Intermodal Length of Haul (miles) 1,443 1,598 1,562 1.0 -0.6

Source: STB Public Waybill Samples 2000 - 2014 (https://www.stb.dot.gov/stb/industry/econ_waybill.html).
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Table 16 highlights the commodity trends that are driving changes in intermodal and carload freight activity. 

Of the top six carload commodities, half have declined rapidly since 2010. Coal declined at 2.2 percent per 

year over this period, which affected rail greatly as it contributed to 40 percent of carload ton-miles in 2014. 

On the other hand, freight flows of crude petroleum have almost doubled each year since 2010, and shipments 

of nonmetallic minerals have grown substantially at 16 percent per year. Since 2010, intermodal ton-miles 

have grown three times faster than carload ton-miles. Most of this growth came from shipments of chemical 

products, apparel, food, and paper. 

Table 16. Top carload commodities by rail service type, by ton miles, 2000 to 2014. 

Rank

Top Carload Commodities 

by Ton-miles

Billions of 

Ton-miles 2014

Percent of 

Ton-miles

Average Annual Growth Rate 

(percent)

2000 to 2010 2010 to 2014

1 Coal 614.2 40.6 2.3 -2.2

2 Chemical products 192.0 12.7 1.8 1.9

3 Agriculture 148.7 9.8 2.2 -2.5

4 Food 108.7 7.2 2.8 -1.5

5 Crude petroleum 88.7 5.9 28.6 95.2

6 Nonmetallic minerals 81.0 5.4 1.0 15.5

7 Lumber 48.6 3.2 -5.2 4.7

8 Refined petroleum products 42.7 2.8 0.8 3.5

9 Metal 42.2 2.8 -2.6 2.8

10 Paper 37.3 2.5 -2.9 -2.0

11 Transportation equipment 37.2 2.5 -4.1 7.3

12 Clay, concrete, glass 31.7 2.1 -3.1 3.1

13 Waste 17.7 1.2 -0.8 -2.3

14 Metallic ores 17.2 1.1 0.8 0.7

15 Hazardous materials 1.8 0.1 0.5 6.0

Other 3.1 0.2 -9.6 -5.1

Total 1,512.7 100.0 1.2 1.3

Source: STB Public Waybill Samples 2000 - 2014 (https://www.stb.dot.gov/stb/industry/econ_waybill.html).

Source: Thinkstock
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Table 17. Top intermodal commodities by rail service type, by ton miles, 2000 to 2014. 

Rank

Top Intermodal 

Commodities by Ton-miles

Billions of 

Ton-miles 2014

Percent of 

Ton-miles

Average Annual Growth Rate (percent)

2000 to 2010 2010 to 2014

1 Misc. mixed shipments 186.0 62.4 0.0 3.3

2 Food 21.2 7.1 3.9 5.6

3 Agriculture 13.8 4.6 19.1 0.7

4 Chemical products 11.1 3.7 3.9 17.1

5 Shipping containers 9.7 3.2 -0.2 -0.9

6 Paper 8.3 2.8 5.0 6.7

7 Apparel 7.2 2.4 9.2 12.9

8 Transportation equipment 7.2 2.4 0.9 9.7

9 Waste 4.4 1.5 7.5 0.3

10 Freight forwarder traffic 3.8 1.3 -2.9 -8.7

11 Rubber/plastics 3.7 1.2 8.3 0.6

12 Electrical equipment 2.6 0.9 5.2 7.9

13 Small packaged freight 2.6 0.9 -5.5 4.4

14 Furniture 2.4 0.8 3.0 12.1

15 Metal products 1.9 0.6 9.5 2.7

Other 12.2 4.1 -4.1 2.1

Total 298.2 100.0 0.9 3.9

Source: STB Public Waybill Samples 2000 - 2014 (https://www.stb.dot.gov/stb/industry/econ_waybill.html).

Rail – Sector Characteristics 

The railroad sector has undergone significant changes over the last 20 years. As Table 18 shows, track 

mileage has decreased rapidly since 1990 as the sector shed less profitable routes and focused on key 

corridors. Declines in total system mileage have occurred primarily in parts of the network owned by 

Class 1 and regional railroads, while the system miles owned by local railroads have grown over this period. 

Overall railroad productivity has soared, allowing railroads to move more freight with less. In 2012, Class 1 

railroads owned 69 percent of system miles, with the remainder split between regional and local railroads.
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Table 18. Rail industry characteristics, 1990 to 2013. 

Key Variables 1990 2000 2010 2011 2012 2013

Average Annual 

Growth Rate 

(percent) 

1990 to 

2000

2000 to 

2011

System Miles - All Rail 175,909 170,512 138,576 138,518 138,477 - -0.31 -2.05

System Miles - Class 1 133,189 120,597 95,573 95,387 95,264 - -0.99 -2.30

System Miles - Regional 18,375 20,978 10,407 10,355 10,355 - 1.33 -6.77

System Miles - Local 24,337 28,937 32,596 32,776 32,858 - 1.75 1.20

Railroad Companies 530 560 565 567 - - 0.55 0.09

Class 1 Railroads 14 8 7 7 - - -5.44 -1.33

Other Railroads 516 552 558 560 - - 0.68 0.11

Class 1 Locomotives 18,835 20,028 23,893 24,250 24,707 25,033 0.62 1.78

Class 1 Freight Cars 658,902 560,154 397,730 380,699 380,641 373,838 -1.61 -3.37

Other Freight Cars 103,527 132,448 101,755 95,972 92,742 88,122 2.49 -2.60

Carloads (million) 21.4 27.8 29.2 30.0 28.4 28.8 2.64 0.51

Revenue Ton-miles 

(trillion) 1.03 1.47 1.69 1.73 1.71 1.74 3.55 1.44

Tons (billions) 1.42 1.74 1.85 1.85 1.76 1.76 2.01 0.63

Source: AAR Railroad Facts 2014 Edition; BTS National Transportation Statistics (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/

national_transportation_statistics/html/table_01_11.html).

Waterborne – Commodities Moved

The rapid increase of international trade over the past decades, especially across the Pacific Ocean, has given 

added importance to ports and other waterborne infrastructure in the U.S. economy. Unlike the commodity 

tables for other modes that have focused on freight movements within the country, Table 19 includes both 

domestic and international shipments. It is necessary to include international shipments because waterborne 

transportation plays a more important role in connecting America to the rest of the world than moving goods 

internally—around 72 percent of international trade tons leave or enter the United States by water.

Energy commodities such as crude petroleum, gasoline, coal, and fuel oils represent the top four commodities 

by tonnage, accounting for 48 percent of all tons in 2015. From 2007 to 2015, crude, petroleum, and cereal 

grains decreased substantially, although increases in fuel oils, coal, gasoline, and other agriculture products 

partially offset these declines.

Crude petroleum is also a top commodity handled in terms of value, although consumer goods on international 

shipments play a larger role by this metric. Motorized vehicles, machinery, electronics, and textiles are the top 

commodities moved in terms of value and are likely to continue growing through 2045 as international trade 

continues to expand. Indeed, FAF projects waterborne tons to grow at 2.6 percent per year and value to grow at 

3.9 percent per year, which is significantly faster than looking just at domestic waterborne cargo (Table 19 and 20).
18

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Table 19. Top commodities moved by domestic and international waterborne, by tonnage, 2007 to 2045. Rank

Top Commodities 

by Tonnage

Million Tons 

2015

Percent of 

Tons

Average Annual Growth Rate (percent)

Historical 

(2007 to 2015)

Forecasted 

(2015 to 2045)

1 Crude petroleum 265.8 19.1 -6.3 0.3

2 Fuel oils 192.7 13.8 8.5 1.4

3 Coal 127.8 9.2 7.0 1.3

4 Cereal grains 82.9 5.9 -1.9 2.5

5 Gasoline 82.7 5.9 6.0 -0.2

6 Other agricultural 

products 70.6 5.1 4.5 4.3

7 Basic chemicals 57.1 4.1 0.5 4.1

8 Nonmetallic minerals 41.8 3.0 -5.1 1.6

9 Waste/scrap 40.4 2.9 0.3 4.9

10 Base metals 38.6 2.8 1.1 1.9

11 Metallic ores 37.7 2.7 0.1 1.6

12 Other foodstuffs 33.5 2.4 4.8 4.1

13 Plastics/rubber 29.0 2.1 1.6 4.6

14 Machinery 24.6 1.8 5.1 4.7

15 Fertilizers 24.0 1.7 2.4 1.3

Other commodities 245.6 17.6 -3.8 4.3

Total 1,394.8 100.0 -0.7 2.6

Source: BTS and FHWA Freight Analysis Framework 3.5 and 4.2 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm).

Note: FAF made specific revisions to its modal and commodity definitions from 2007 (version 3) to 2015 (version 4); however, these changes are 

unlikely to alter significantly the tendency of the historical results shown in this table. Value adjusted for inflation.

Source: Thinkstock
19

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Table 20. Top commodities moved by domestic and international waterborne, by value, 2007 to 2045. Rank

Top Commodities 

by Value

Billion USD 

2015

Percent of 

USD

Average Annual Growth Rate (percent)

Historical 

(2007 to 2015)

Forecasted 

(2015 to 2045)

1 Motorized vehicles 197.6 9.8 1.2 2.8

2 Machinery 173.2 8.6 0.9 4.8

3 Crude petroleum 172.9 8.6 -3.1 0.2

4 Electronics 171.9 8.5 4.4 5.2

5 Textiles/leather 144.8 7.2 1.8 4.0

6 Fuel oils 135.6 6.7 14.0 1.5

7 Plastics/rubber 94.3 4.7 3.9 4.5

8 Basic chemicals 83.6 4.1 2.8 4.2

9 Gasoline 75.1 3.7 9.1 -0.2

10 Other agricultural products 68.0 3.4 8.6 4.4

11 Articles-base metal 60.4 3.0 2.7 3.2

12 Base metals 59.3 2.9 2.7 2.1

13 Misc. manufacturing products 54.4 2.7 0.3 4.7

14 Other foodstuffs 48.5 2.4 7.3 4.1

15 Chemical products 46.5 2.3 3.9 5.5

Other commodities 429.3 21.3 4.3 4.6

Total 2,015.4 100.0 3.0 3.9

USD=U.S. dollars

Source: BTS and FHWA Freight Analysis Framework 3.5 and 4.2 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm).

Note: FAF made specific revisions to its modal and commodity definitions from 2007 (version 3) to 2015 (version 4); however, these changes are 

unlikely to alter significantly the tendency of the historical results shown in this table. Value was adjusted for inflation. 

Waterborne – Main Ports

As Table 21 shows, on average, half of the tonnage handled at U.S. ports is domestic and the rest comprises 

either imports or exports. The Port of South Louisiana, Port of New Orleans, and Port of Baton Rouge 

handle a high proportion of domestic cargo, while ports on the West Coast, such as the Port of Los Angeles 

and the Port of Long Beach, primarily receive imports from Asia. Just 10 deep-water ports (that can accept 

large ships due to having water depth of 30 feet or more) are responsible for 65 percent of the value of 

containerized international trade.

Since 2010, the ports that have seen the fastest growth in tonnage have been the Port of South Louisiana, 

Port of Beaumont, Port of Corpus Christi, Port of New Orleans, and Port of Baton Rouge. It is uncertain 

how exactly the Panama Canal expansion will affect international shipping; however, the potential exists for 

this project to have a substantial impact on the geography of maritime transport. To take advantage of these 

changes many ports have invested significantly in dredging and deepening projects to accommodate larger 

ships, affecting their competitive position moving forward. 
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Table 21. Top ports by total tons, 2014.

RankTop Ports by Tons

2014

Average Annual 

Growth Rate of 

Total Tons (percent)

Total 

Million Tons

Percent 

Domestic

Percent 

Imports

Percent 

Exports

2000 to 

2010

2010 to 

2014

1 South Louisiana, Louisiana, Port 267.4 53 15 32 0.9 3.1

2 Houston, Texas 234.3 31 33 36 2.0 0.8

3 New York, New York and 

New Jersey 126.2 37 48 15 0.1 -2.4

4 Beaumont, Texas 87.3 39 45 16 0.0 3.2

5 Long Beach, California 85.0 13 56 31 0.8 3.0

6 Corpus Christi, Texas 84.9 47 31 22 -1.0 3.6

7 New Orleans, Louisiana 84.5 56 21 23 -2.2 3.9

8 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 69.2 62 19 20 -1.6 5.6

9 Mobile, Alabama 64.3 43 28 29 0.4 3.6

10 Los Angeles, California 61.0 9 56 34 2.6 -0.6

11 Lake Charles, Louisiana 56.8 49 35 15 0.3 1.0

12 Plaquemines, Louisiana, Port 

of 55.5 64 4 32 -0.7 -0.2

13 Cincinnati-Northern 

Kentucky, Ports 49.9 100 0 0 - -

14 Norfolk Harbor, Virginia 48.0 13 22 66 -0.2 3.7

15 Texas City, Texas 47.9 39 32 28 -0.3 -4.1

16 Huntington - Tristate 46.4 100 0 0 -2.2 -6.8

17 St. Louis, Missouri and 

Illinois 38.9 100 0 0 -0.8 6.0

18 Duluth-Superior, Minnesota 

and Wisconsin 37.4 76 2 22 -1.3 0.5

19 Baltimore, Maryland 37.2 18 35 47 -0.3 -1.6

20 Port Arthur, Texas 36.7 30 20 50 3.9 4.9

Other ports 986.8 55 25 20 - -

Total Top 150 Ports 2,605.5 49 26 24 - -

Source: USACE US Waterway Data, Principal Ports of the United States (http://www.navigationdatacenter.us/data/datappor.htm).
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

There are approximately 360 commercial sea, river, and lake ports with 3,200 cargo and passenger terminals. 

Inland navigation is possible through an extensive network of 12,000 miles of waterways and 240 locks and 

dams. More than 38,000 domestic maritime vessels, including tugs, barges, and oceangoing ships, use these 

waterways. 

Some ports specialize in the handling of containers on international shipments. Table 22 shows the number 

of containers passing through the top 20 ports in the U.S. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handled 

32 percent of all containerized cargo. Along with the Ports of Oakland and Seattle, these serve as the 

main gateways for trade with Asia. On the East Coast, the Ports of New York/New Jersey, Savannah, and 

Hampton Roads are the largest handlers of containerized cargo. Inland access from the ports is provided by 

trucks and intermodal railroads.

Table 22. Top ports by twenty-foot equivalent units, 2015.

RankTop Port by TEUs

Millions of TEUs 

2015

Percent Change 

2014 to 2015

1 Los Angeles, California 8.16 -2.20

2 Long Beach, California 7.19 5.40

3 New York/New Jersey 6.37 10.40

4 Savannah, Georgia 3.74 11.70

5 Seattle/Tacoma Alliance, 

Washington 3.53 4.00

6 Hampton Roads, Virginia 2.55 6.50

7 Oakland, California 2.28 -4.90

8 Houston, Texas 2.13 9.20

9 Charleston, South Carolina 1.97 10.10

10 Honolulu, Hawaii (FY) 1.21 7.60

11 San Juan, Puerto Rico (FY) 1.21 -8.30

12 Port Everglades, Florida (FY) 1.06 4.70

13 Miami, Florida (FY) 1.01 15.00

14 Jacksonville, Florida (FY) 0.92 -2.30

15 Baltimore, Maryland 0.84 9.10

16 New Orleans, Louisiana 0.52 7.00

17 Anchorage, Alaska 0.49 -16.90

18 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 0.43 -4.80

19 Wilmington, Delaware 0.34 0.90

20 Wilmington, North Carolina 0.29 4.60

Other 1.87 -4.50

Total US Ports 48.11 3.80

TEU=twenty-foot equivalent units, FY=fiscal year

Source: American Association of Port Authorities, NAFTA Container Port Ranking 2015 (http://www.aapa-ports.org/unifying/content.

aspx?ItemNumber=21048).
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Air – Commodities Moved

Air freight specializes in high value commodities that are time-sensitive. Table 23 shows that electronics 

and machinery represent the top commodities for air, combining to make up more than 30 percent of all tons 

shipped and more than 40 percent of all value shipped. From 2007 to 2015, many of the top commodities 

in terms of tonnage decreased, primarily because of the economic recession. This led the air sector as a 

whole to decline by 2.3 percent per year over that time. However, some commodities saw substantial growth, 

including meat/seafood, animal feed, and motorized vehicles. Looking into the future, the FAF projects 

air cargo to be the fastest growing freight mode in the United States, with tonnages growing at 4.3 percent 

per year and value growing at 5.0 percent per year. FAF predicts that almost all air cargo commodities will 

see substantial growth, with electronics, machinery, precision instruments, and pharmaceuticals growing 

the fastest. Tables 23 and 24 include freight shipments of more than 100 pounds moved by commercial or 

private aircraft providing freighter or express service. 

Table 23. Top commodities moved by domestic or international air, by tonnage, 2007 to 2045.

Rank

Top Commodities 

by Tonnage

Million 

Tons 2015

Percent of 

Tons

Average Annual Growth Rate (percent)

Historical 

(2007 to 2015)

Forecasted 

(2015 to 2045)

1 Electronics 2.11 19.9 0.3 5.0

2 Machinery 1.26 11.9 -6.6 4.7

3 Textiles/leather 0.81 7.7 -3.0 3.8

4 Other agricultural products 0.71 6.7 -1.2 4.6

5 Precision instruments 0.66 6.2 -0.7 5.7

6 Motorized vehicles 0.57 5.4 3.2 1.7

7 Articles-base metal 0.48 4.6 -1.9 3.7

8 Plastics/rubber 0.45 4.2 -1.7 4.3

9 Meat/seafood 0.43 4.0 17.3 3.1

10 Chemical products 0.38 3.6 -4.9 5.1

11 Animal feed 0.37 3.5 38.0 3.1

12 Misc. manufacturing products 0.36 3.4 -4.5 4.0

13 Basic chemicals 0.26 2.4 2.7 3.6

14 Pharmaceuticals 0.25 2.4 -0.1 5.0

15 Transport equipment 0.23 2.2 4.0 4.0

Other commodities 1.25 11.8 -8.8 3.5

Total 10.58 100.0 -2.3 4.3

Source: BTS and FHWA Freight Analysis Framework 3.5 and 4.2 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm).

Note: FAF made specific revisions to its modal and commodity definitions from 2007 (version 3) to 2015 (version 4), however these changes are 

unlikely to alter significantly the tendency of the historical results shown in this table. Value adjusted for inflation.
23

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Table 24. Top commodities moved by domestic or international air, by value, 2007 to 2045.

Rank

Top Commodities 

by Value

Billion USD 

2015

Percent of 

USD

Average Annual Growth Rate 

(percent)

Historical 

(2007 to 2015)

Forecasted 

(2015 to 2045)

1 Electronics 392.1 31.8 2.6 5.2

2 Misc. mfg. products 162.5 13.2 0.5 5.0

3 Precision instruments 132.1 10.7 -0.5 6.1

4 Machinery 128.6 10.4 -8.2 4.8

5 Pharmaceuticals 99.6 8.1 1.9 5.1

6 Transportation equipment 79.8 6.5 0.1 4.1

7 Basic chemicals 78.2 6.3 10.0 4.1

8 Textiles/leather 27.9 2.3 -2.8 3.7

9 Motorized vehicles 23.2 1.9 8.1 2.0

10 Chemical products 22.1 1.8 1.0 5.2

11 Articles-base metal 16.4 1.3 2.5 3.6

12 Plastics/rubber 14.3 1.2 3.1 4.4

13 Mixed freight 11.7 1.0 -12.9 4.4

14 Nonmetal mineral products 5.9 0.5 0.5 4.4

15 Waste/scrap 5.3 0.4 5.6

Other commodities 32.8 2.7 1.9 3.8

Total 1,232.4 100.0 0.0 5.0

USD=U.S. dollars

Source: BTS and FHWA Freight Analysis Framework 3.5 and 4.2 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm).

Note: FAF made specific revisions to its modal and commodity definitions from 2007 (version 3) to 2015 (version 4), however these changes are 

unlikely to alter significantly the tendency of the historical results shown in this table. Value was adjusted for inflation.

Source: Thinkstock
24

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Air – Main Airports

As Table 25 demonstrates, the airport that lands the most tons in the United States is Memphis International 

Airport, which is the air hub of FedEx. The airport with the second highest tonnage is Ted Stevens 

Anchorage International Airport, although the majority of tons landed never leave the airport because 

freighter airlines use it primarily as a refueling stop on international flights between Asia and the United 

States. The airport with the third highest tonnage is Louisville International Airport, which is the air hub 

of United Parcel Service. Currently more than 500 commercial airports and thousands of general aviation 

airports handle air cargo throughout the country. 

Table 25. Top airports by air cargo, 2000 to 2013.

RankAirport CodeTop Airports by Landed Tons

Millions of 

Tons 2013

Percent of 

Tons

Average Annual 

Growth Rate (percent) 

2000 to 

2010

2010 to 

2013

1 MEM Memphis Intl. 4.58 13.6 33.2 2.0

2 ANC Ted Stevens Anchorage Intl. 4.06 12.1 4.9 -7.1

3 SDF Louisville International Airport 2.45 7.3 49.5 0.8

4 LAX Los Angeles Intl. 2.03 6.0 2.2 0.5

5 MIA Miami Intl. 2.11 6.3 3.1 1.3

6 ORD Chicago O’Hare Intl. 1.57 4.7 3.2 -3.0

7 JFK John F Kennedy Intl. 1.45 4.3 -0.7 -4.1

8 IND Indianapolis Intl. 1.10 3.3 32.4 1.9

9 ATL Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta Intl. 0.79 2.3 0.2 -1.7

10 DFW Dallas Fort Worth Intl. 0.75 2.2 5.8 -3.4

11 EWR Newark Liberty Intl. 0.74 2.2 6.0 -7.4

12 CVG Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Intl. 0.66 2.0 7.5 15.4

13 OAK Metropolitan Oakland Intl. 0.57 1.7 29.8 0.5

14 HNL Honolulu Intl. 0.63 1.9 4.0 0.8

15 SFO San Francisco Intl. 0.50 1.5 -5.7 -1.7

16 IAH George Bush Intercontinental 0.50 1.5 6.1 -1.0

17 ONT Ontario Intl. 0.47 1.4 34.0 0.4

18 PHL Philadelphia Intl. 0.48 1.4 9.3 -2.7

19 SEA Seattle Tacoma Intl. 0.41 1.2 2.8 -0.9

20 PHX Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl. 0.29 0.9 5.9 0.9

Other airports 7.46 22.2 7.2 -1.8

Total 33.61 100.0 6.9 -1.4

Intl=International

Source: BTS, T-100 Segment Data, 2000 – 2013 (http://www.transtats.bts.gov/Fields.asp?Table_ID=293). 

Note: Considers airports with landed weight in excess of 100 million pounds.
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Pipeline – Commodities Moved 

Pipelines are an important part of the freight transportation system, delivering energy commodities to 

consumers around the United States or acting as gateways for energy exports to foreign markets. Pipelines 

move the second highest volume in terms of tonnage and third highest value in terms of dollars. As Table 26 

shows, 64.5 percent of the tonnage carried by pipeline is coal-n.e.c., which mostly consists of natural gas and 

petroleum products. The introduction of new technologies in the extraction of natural gas has increased U.S. 

production considerably, leading to substantial growth from 2007 to 2015. Looking out to 2045, FAF expects 

the growth for this commodity to slow but still remain positive. 

Table 26. Top commodities moved by pipeline, by tonnage, 2007 to 2045.

Rank

Top Commodities 

by Tonnage

Million 

Tons 2015

Percent of 

Tons

Average Annual Growth Rate (percent)

Historical 

(2007 to 2015)

Forecasted 

(2015 to 2045)

1 Coal-n.e.c. 2,127.3 64.5 16.2 1.5

2 Crude petroleum 448.1 13.6 1.0 -0.2

3 Gasoline 385.5 11.7 1.5 0.0

4 Fuel oils 302.8 9.2 4.3 0.0

5 Basic chemicals 34.1 1.0 -4.6 2.3

Other 2.7 0.1 24.7 1.4

Total 3,300.4 100.0 9.0 1.1

n.e.c.= not elsewhere classified, USD=U.S. dollars

Source: BTS and FHWA Freight Analysis Framework 3.5 and 4.2 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm). 

Note: FAF made specific revisions to its modal and commodity definitions from 2007 (version 3) to 2015 (version 4); however, these changes are 

unlikely to alter significantly the tendency of the historical results shown in this table. Value adjusted for inflation. Changes in the methodology used to 

account for natural gas from 2007 to 2015 could lead this table to overestimate the growth observed during this time period.

Table 27. Top commodities moved by pipeline, by value, 2007 to 2045.

Rank

Top Commodities 

by Value

Billion USD 

2015

Percent of 

USD

Average Annual Growth Rate (percent)

Historical 

(2007 to 2015)

Forecasted 

(2015 to 2045)

1 Coal-n.e.c. 554.8 37.2 9.1 1.7

2 Gasoline 364.4 24.4 4.8 -0.1

3 Crude petroleum 299.9 20.1 4.8 -0.3

4 Fuel oils 241.6 16.2 7.7 0.0

5 Basic chemicals 29.4 2.0 -1.4 2.4

Other 1.7 0.1 9.4 2.6

Total 1,491.9 100.0 6.5 0.7

n.e.c.= not elsewhere classified, USD=U.S. dollars

Source: BTS and FHWA Freight Analysis Framework 3.5 and 4.2 (http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm). 

Note: FAF made specific revisions to its modal and commodity definitions from 2007(version 3) to 2015 (version 4); however, these changes are 

unlikely to alter significantly the tendency of the historical results shown in this table. Value adjusted for inflation. Changes in the methodology used to 

account for natural gas from 2007 to 2015 could lead this table to overestimate the growth observed during this time period.
26

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

As Table 28 demonstrates, there are more than 2.4 million miles of pipeline in the United States serving 

a variety of functions. The majority, around 93 percent, are used for natural gas (including distribution). 

Mileage in natural gas pipelines has grown on average 1.2 percent per year from 2004 to 2010, slowing to 

0.6 percent per year from 2010 to 2014. 

Table 28. Extent of pipeline network, 2004 to 2014.

Pipeline Use

Thousand 

Miles 2014

Percent of 

Miles

Average Annual Growth (percent) 

2004 to 2010 2010 to 2014

Natural gas pipeline 2,253.7 93.1 1.2 0.6

 Distribution main lines 1,142.3 47.2 1.2 0.7

 Distribution service lines 783.5 32.4 1.8 0.9

 Transmission 303.0 12.5 0.1 -0.2

 Gathering 25.0 1.0 -3.9 -2.7

Oil 111.7 4.6 1.1 1.8

 Crude oil 49.3 2.0 1.7 5.1

 Refined petroleum 62.4 2.6 0.6 -1.2

Highly volatile liquids 51.8 2.1 1.9 3.2

Other 3.2 0.1 6.0 4.0

Total 2,420.4 100.0 1.3 0.8

Source: USDOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Annual Report Mileage Summary Statistics (http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/

portal/site/PHMSA/).

Around 4.6 percent of pipeline mileage involves the transportation of crude oil or refined petroleum 

products. Oil pipeline mileage increased after 2010, especially for crude oil, which grew at 5.1 percent per 

year. This growth has come from the resurgence of domestic crude oil production, especially in the Bakken 

fields in North Dakota and Montana and the Eagle Ford and Permian Basins in Texas. 

According to the NFSP (https://www.transportation.gov/freight/NFSP), even though the pipeline network 

is extensive, it is better positioned to move crude oil imports than the new domestic production. However, 

recent volatility in international oil markets has slowed to a halt investments in new pipeline capacity. 
27

2. IMPACTS AND PERFORMANCE

Economic Impacts

The freight transportation sector plays a fundamental role in the U.S. economy, enabling commerce, trade, 

and other economic activities. Table 29 provides an overview of its contribution to gross domestic product 

(GDP). Total U.S. GDP (in chained 2009 dollars) reached $15.6 trillion in 2013, after growing at an average 

pace of 1.6 percent per year from 2000 to 2010 (in spite of the economic recession), and 1.8 percent from 

2010 to 2013 in real terms. Population increases and productivity improvements fueled this growth.

In 2013, 8.9 percent of U.S. GDP came from the transportation sector, including both passenger and freight 

modes. From 2000 to 2010, transportation expenditures decreased but then rebounded, growing at an 

average rate of 3.4 percent per year until 2013. The proportion of GDP spent on the transportation sector has 

been decreasing over the past decades. 

Freight can either be transported by shippers themselves with their own equipment (in-house) or by 

contracted, specialized firms (for-hire). Certain specialized logistics providers (such as third party logistics 

providers, or 3PLs, and the specialized providers referenced generally by the new term “4PLs”) also provide 

a wide range of supply-chain services, including warehousing, inventory management, and transportation. 

The for-hire freight transportation sector accounted for $440.5 billion in 2013 (chained 2009 dollars), 

representing 2.8 percent of the U.S. economy. As a proportion of the transportation sector, for-hire freight 

transportation accounts for almost 32 percent of income. It is likely that Table 29 underestimates the size 

of the freight sector because it only considers for-hire services; companies with in-house transportation 

capabilities are not considered. The proportion of the whole economy dedicated to for-hire freight 

transportation has remained fairly constant since 2000, which has important implications as the U.S. 

economy is expected to double in size over the next 30 years. 

The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and Fixing America’s Surface 

Transportation Act (FAST Act) legislation integrates performance into many federal transportation programs 

and contains several performance elements. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is in the process 

of promulgating a rulemaking in consultation with States, metropolitan planning organizations, and other 

stakeholders in accordance with 23 U.S.C. 150. The requirements for freight performance measurement in 

the new National Highway Freight Program will measure freight movement and reliability on the Interstate 

System.
28

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Source: Thinkstock

Table 29. Gross domestic product and employment in transportation, 2000 to 2013.

Economic Variables 2000 2010 2013

Average Annual Growth Rate 

(percent) 

2000 to 2010 2010 to 2013

U.S. population 282.2 308.1 315.2 0.88 0.76

U.S. GDP (billions of chained 2009 $) 12,559.7 14,783.8 15,583.3 1.64 1.77

Total transportation-related GDP 

(billions of chained 2009 $) 1,347.9 1,251.2 1,381.8 -0.74 3.36

Percent of GDP in transportation 10.7 8.5 8.9 - -

Total for-hire transportation services 

GDP (billions of chained 2009 $) 379.9 421.4 440.5 1.04 1.49

Percent of GDP in for-hire 

transportation services 3.0 2.9 2.8 - -

Total U.S. labor force (thousand) 132,019 130,275 136,368 -0.13 1.54

Employment in transportation and 

warehousing (thousands) 4,410 4,191 4,495 -0.51 2.36

Percent of labor force in 

transportation and warehousing 3.3 3.2 3.3 - -

GDP=gross domestic product

Source: US Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov/); BTS National Transportation Statistics, Tables 3-4, 3-4 and 3-23 (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/

sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_statistics/index.html#chapter_3).

Of the 136.3 million people employed in the United States in 2013, 3.3 percent worked 

in the transportation and warehousing sector. Since 2010, employment in this sector has 

increased much faster than employment in the rest of the economy, at 2.4 percent per 

year. Currently around 1.4 million people are employed in for-hire trucking.
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Energy Consumption 

Moving more than 18 billion tons each year, often across the country, requires a significant amount of 

energy. Table 30 contains estimates of the energy consumption of four key freight modes. Trucking is the 

mode that consumes the most energy today, even though total energy consumption has decreased over 

1.3 percent per year since 2007. Initially the economic recession caused these declines, but since then, the 

positive trend has continued as truck fuel efficiency continues to inch upward, as shown in Table 31. The 

introduction of a wide range of fuel saving technologies in long-haul trucking, such as improvements in 

aerodynamics and low-rolling-resistance tires, has improved the fuel efficiency of modern trucks and will 

continue achieving energy savings as a greater proportion of the fleet is retrofitted. 

Table 30. Energy consumption by mode in trillion British thermal units, 2007 to 2013.

Freight Mode 2000 2010 2013

Average Annual Growth Rate (percent) 

2007 to 2010 2010 to 2013

Truck 6,549 6,245 6,005 -1.6 -1.3

Class I rail 567 488 515 -4.9 1.8

Water 1,367 1,194 1,003 -4.4 -5.6

Pipeline 642 695 888 2.7 8.5

BTU=British thermal unit

Source: BTS Freight Facts and Figures 2015, Table 6-7 (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/data_and_statistics/by_subject/freight/

freight_facts_2015/chapter6/table6_7).

Total energy consumption by Class 1 railroads decreased from 2007 to 2010, but increased after 2010 due to 

increases in rail tonnage, which offset noteworthy improvements in rail fuel efficiency. In general, trains are 

getting longer, taller and heavier, carrying more freight with each unit of energy consumed. 

Table 31. Freight fuel efficiency, 1990 to 2013.

Freight Mode 1990 2000 2010 2013

Average Annual Growth Rate (percent) 

1990 to 2000

2000 to 

2010

2010 to 

2013

Single-unit trucks 

(miles/diesel gallon) 6.2 7.4 7.3 7.3 1.79 -0.14 0.00

Combination trucks 

(miles/diesel gallon) 5.8 5.3 5.9 5.8 -0.90 1.08 -0.57

Class 1 freight rail 

(ton-miles/diesel gallon) 329.9 394.1 480.5 468.9 1.79 2.00 -0.47

Domestic aircraft operations 

(miles/gallon) 0.32 0.41 0.54 0.59 2.51 2.79 3.00

Source: BTS National Transportation Statistics, Tables 4-8, 4-13 and 4-14 (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_

transportation_statistics/index.html); AAR Railroad Facts 2014 Edition, pp. 63.
30

2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Climate Change

The energy sources used in freight transportation tend to have a large carbon footprint. As can be seen in 

Table 32, in 2013 freight transportation contributed to 7.7 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United 

States, representing 29 percent of all transportation-related emissions. Since 2000, emissions from the 

freight sector have been steadily increasing due to rising freight volumes, while emissions from the other 

transportation sectors and the rest of the economy have been decreasing. As can be seen in Table 33, most 

of the growth in greenhouse gas emissions has come from the trucking sector, although this growth slowed 

down after 2010. On the flipside, emissions from rail and pipelines appear to have accelerated since 2010. If 

the Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) forecast is realized, trucking will generate an even larger proportion 

of future freight-generated greenhouse gas emissions.

Table 32. Greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, 2000 to 2014.

2000 2010 2013 2014

Average Annual 

Growth Rate (percent) 

2000 to 

2010

2010 to 

2013

U.S. total (MMTCO2eq) 7,259.0 6,985.0 6,800.0 6,870.0 -0.38 -0.41

Transportation sector 

(MMTCO2eq) 1,926.70 1,832.00 1,794.00 1,814.50 -0.50 -0.24

Percent transportation 

of total 26.5 26.2 26.4 26.4 - -

Freight transportation sector 

(MMTCO2eq) 496.1 509.6 513 518.3 0.27 0.42

Percent freight of total 6.8 7.3 7.0 7.5 - -

MMTC02eq= million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent

Source: US EPA Draft U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report: 1990 – 2014, Figure 2-1 and ANNEX 3 Table A-118 (https://www3.epa.gov/

climatechange/Downloads/ghgemissions/US-GHG-Inventory-2016-Annex-3-Additional-Source-or-Sink-Categories.pdf).

Table 33. Freight greenhouse gas emissions, 2000 to 2014 (in million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent).

Freight Mode 2000 2010 2013 2014

Average Annual Growth 

Rate (percent)

2000 to 

2010

2010 to 

2014

Trucking 347.5 389.7 395.7 407.4 1.2 1.1

Freight rail 40.9 38 39.7 41.8 -0.7 2.4

Ships and other boats 48.1 28.5 15.7 6.3 -5.1 -31.4

Pipelines 35.2 37.1 45.9 46.5 0.5 5.8

Commercial aircraft 20.1 16.3 15.9 16.2 -2.1 -0.2

Total 496.1 509.6 513 518.3 0.3 0.4

Source: US EPA Draft U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report: 1990 – 2014, ANNEX 3 Table A-118 (https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/Downloads/

ghgemissions/US-GHG-Inventory-2016-Annex-3-Additional-Source-or-Sink-Categories.pdf).
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Air Quality

The combustion of fossil fuels not only generates significant quantities of greenhouse gas emissions, it also leads 

to the emission of several additional air pollutants that are detrimental to the environment and human health. 

The amount of air pollution that each freight mode emits depends on the type of control technology installed, 

operational characteristics, and atmospheric conditions, among other variables. In addition, air pollution near 

urban areas will have a greater adverse impact than in sparsely populated areas. Table 34 provides an estimate of 

the average emission rates of three key air quality pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Looking into the future, the implementation of stricter environmental regulations (e.g., curbing criteria 

pollutants and mitigating climate change) and continued improvements in vehicle technology will reduce 

emission rates in the coming years. Emissions of particulate matter are expected to improve the fastest 

for both trucks and rail, as already strict environmental standards are expected to be further tightened. 

Emissions of nitrous oxides and volatile organic compounds are also expected to improve substantially. 

Table 34. Emission rates for trucks and rail, 2015 to 2040.

Type of Emissions 2015 2030 2040

Percentage 

of Forecasted 

Average Annual 

Improvement 

(2015 to 2040) 

Combination 

Trucks

NOx grams/mile 9.02 2.48 2.04 -5.8

PM10 grams/mile 0.367 0.050 0.029 -9.7

VOC grams/mile 0.862 0.354 0.317 -3.9

CO2 grams/mile 1,879.4 1,704.5 1,683.5 -0.4

Single-Unit 

Trucks

NOx grams/mile 4.09 0.94 0.81 -6.3

PM10 grams/mile 0.211 0.027 0.023 -8.5

VOC grams/mile 0.880 0.236 0.210 -5.6

CO2 grams/mile 1,133.3 1,039.3 1,031.7 -0.4

Freight Rail

NOx grams/ton-mile 0.2671 0.0878 0.0400 -7.3

PM10 grams/ton-mile 0.0070 0.0017 0.0006 -9.6

VOC grams/ton-mile 0.0124 0.0033 0.0015 -8.1

CO2 grams/ton-mile 21.036 16.826 14.498 -1.5

NOx=nitrous oxide, PM10=particulate matter 10 microns, VOC=volatile organic compound, CO2= carbon dioxide

Source: Truck rates are from nationwide simulation of EPA MOVES 2014a (https://www3.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/). Rail rates are from EPA 

Emission Factors for Locomotives (https://www3.epa.gov/nonroad/locomotv/420f09025.pdf), EPA-420-F-09-025 April 2009 using fuel efficiency from 

AAR Railroad Facts 2014 Edition, pp. 63.
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Safety Impacts

The freight transportation sector comes into contact with millions of people each day, from employees in 

the various freight modes to passengers on non-freight modes. Ensuring the safety of all these people is a 

top priority. Table 35 provides an overview of the injuries and fatalities related to four key freight modes 

and uses estimates of freight activity to estimate accident rates. In 2013 freight movement contributed to 

4,507 fatalities and 99,122 injuries in the United States, representing 13 percent of all transportation-related 

fatalities. 

Trucking is responsible for the majority of these accidents, accounting for 87.9 percent of fatalities and 95.8 

percent of injuries. However, from 2000 to 2013, the total number of trucking-related fatalities decreased by 

2.2 percent per year, and injuries decreased by 2.9 percent per year. According to the Federal Motor Carrier 

Safety Administration (FMCSA), 1.8 percent of the drivers of large trucks involved in fatal crashes in 2014 

had a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher, which is significantly lower than the 22.1 percent found in 

passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes. Rail-related fatalities and injuries also decreased sharply 

over this time period, in part because of investments to improve highway-rail crossings.

The rate of fatalities and injuries per ton-mile in truck transportation is many times greater than that for 

other freight modes, even though it has decreased significantly since 2000. 

Table 35. Freight-related injuries and fatalities, 2000 to 2013.

Fatalities 2013 

Annual 

Growth Rate 

2000 to 2013 

(percent) Injuries 2013

Annual 

Growth Rate 

2000 to 2013

(percent)

Truck fatalities 3,964 -2.2 Truck injuries 95,000 -2.9

Railroad fatalities 509 -2.6 Railroad injuries 3,977 -5.1

Waterborne fatalities 25 -3.9 Waterborne injuries 100 4.7

Pipeline fatalities 9 -10.5 Pipeline injuries 45 -4.4

Total freight fatalities 4,507 -2.3 Total freight injuries 99,122 -3.0

Truck fatalities/

billion ton-miles 1.375 -3.6 Truck injuries/billion ton-miles 32.953 -4.4

Railroad fatalities/ 

billion ton-miles 0.278 -3.7 Railroad injuries/ billion ton-miles 2.172 -6.2

Waterborne fatalities/

billion ton-miles 0.050 -2.0 Waterborne injuries/billion ton-miles 0.199 6.8

Pipeline fatalities/ 

billion ton-miles 0.008 -11.1 Pipeline injuries/ billion ton-miles 0.042 -5.1

Total fatalities/

billion ton-miles 0.717 -3.2 Total injuries/billion ton-miles 15.779 -3.9

Note: Trucks include vehicles with gross vehicle weight ratings at or over 10,000 pounds.

Source: BTS Freight Facts and Figures 2015, Table 6-1 (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/data_and_statistics/by_subject/freight/

freight_facts_2015/chapter6/table6_1) and Table 6-2 (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/data_and_statistics/by_subject/freight/

freight_facts_2015/chapter6/table6_2). Also, draft National Freight Strategic Plan, BTS Special Tabulation, Figure 4 (https://www.transportation.gov/

sites/dot.gov/files/docs/Draft_NFSP_for_Public_Comment_508_10%2015%2015%20v1.pdf).
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Congestion Impacts

Congestion is costly for the freight transportation system, especially for the trucking industry. Sitting 

in traffic leads to higher fuel consumption, longer travel times, and unreliable delivery times. The draft 

National Freight Strategic Plan (NFSP) (https://www.transportation.gov/freight/NFSP) estimated these 

congestions costs total more than $27 billion each year.

The growth and increasing urbanization of the U.S. population will exacerbate congestion unless drastic 

actions are taken. The U.S. population is expected to grow by 68 million by 2045 and the majority will 

live in already congested urban and suburban areas. The proportion of the population living in these areas 

will reach 90 percent by 2040, from 84 percent in 2010 and 77 percent in 1980. Not only are more people 

likely to live in urban areas, but the freight transportation system is going to increase its reliance on trucks, 

as can be seen in Table 4. This will increase roadway congestion, making it more difficult and costly to 

move goods to and from intermodal infrastructure that is often located in cities, such as ports, rail yards 

and airports. 

Table 36 provides an overview of how congestion has evolved in U.S. cities since 2000. As expected, 

most congestion costs, congestion costs per capita, and wasted fuel combustion, occur in the largest cities. 

However, a clear trend is evident in which medium-size cities show the fastest growth in congestion. 

Table 36. Highway congestion in urban areas, 2000 to 2014.

Population Level

Average Annual 

Highway Congestion 

Cost Per Urban Area

Average Annual 

Highway Congestion 

Cost per Commuter

Average Annual Gallons 

of Fuel Wasted per 

Urban Area

Million 

USD in 

2014

Average 

Real 

Growth 

Rate 2000 

to 2014 

(percent)

USD in 

2014

Average 

Real 

Growth 

Rate 2000 

to 2014 

(percent)

Million 

Gallons in 

2014

Average 

Growth 

Rate 2000 

to 2014 

(percent)

≥ 3 million 5,259 -0.4 1,433 -0.4 99.5 2.0

1 million to < 3 million 1,281 0.4 1,045 0.4 25.7 2.7

500,000 to < 1 million 474 0.3 867 0.1 9.8 2.5

< 500,000 191 1.3 704 1.2 9.8 10.6

101 urban area average 1,371 0.0 1,189 -0.2 26.7 2.3

471 urban area average 338 4.8 960 0.0 6.6 4.6

USD=U.S. dollars

Source: BTS National Transportation Statistics, Table 1-72 (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_

statistics/html/table_01_72.html) and Table 4-28 (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_statistics/

html/table_04_28.html). 

Note: Findings from the 2015 Urban Mobility Scorecard include 101 urban areas. Averages from that report are referenced in this table. The report also 

includes individual congestion statistics for 370 other urban areas (totaling 471), averages for which are also referenced.
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Roadway Condition

Table 37 provides an overview of how road conditions in the United States have changed since 2000. Many 

metrics can be used to assess roadway condition; however, the International Roughness Index is used in this 

case because of its popularity. From this, it appears that the condition of urban roads has worsened, especially 

on interstates and other freeways, while rural road conditions have improved. Trucks are responsible for a 

disproportionate amount of pavement deterioration because of their heavy axle loads. Currently, the Federal 

truck weight limit is set at 80,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight, 20,000 lbs. for single axles, and 34,000 lbs. for 

tandem axles. Some bridges have lower weight limits based on specific restrictions. 

Table 37. Percent of roadway miles with an International Roughness Index over 170, 2000 to 2013 (percent).

Types of Roadway 2000 2013

Average Annual Growth Rate 2000 

to 2013 (percent)

Rural - Interstates 2.1 2.4 1.0

Rural - Other principal arterials 4.0 4.9 1.6

Rural - Minor arterials 7.0 7.2 0.2

Rural - Major collectors 22.1 19.7 -0.9

Urban - Interstates 6.5 5.1 -1.8

Urban - Other freeways and expressway 10.9 7.2 -3.1

Urban - Other principal arterials 30.0 25.8 -1.2

Urban - Minor arterials 33.7 38.2 1.0

Urban - Collectors 52.3 53.7 0.2

Source: BTS Freight Facts and Figures 2015, Table 3-4 (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/data_and_statistics/by_subject/freight/

freight_facts_2015/chapter3/table3_4).
35

3. TRENDS, POLICY AND FUNDING

Key Trends

The draft National Freight Strategic Plan (NFSP) (https://www.transportation.gov/freight/NFSP) identified 

the following key freight trends.

1. Growth in freight tonnages will be caused by:

• The U.S. economy doubling in size over the next 30 years.

• The Nation’s population increasing to 389 million (by 2045), compared to 321 million in 2015.

• Americans increasingly living in congested urban areas.

2. Under investment in the freight system has been caused by:

• Few public-sector funds being dedicated to freight infrastructure.

• Freight projects being costly to undertake.

• Freight projects not competing well with non-freight projects because of the manner in which 

public investments are evaluated.

• Freight projects involving multiple transportation modes, jurisdictions, and stakeholders, each 

having different objectives or operating under different investment timeframes.

3. Difficulties in planning and implementing freight projects have resulted from the decentralized 

approach of State and local agencies working with each other and a broad array of Federal and 

private sector partners, leading to challenges such as fragmented decision-making. 

4. An ongoing need to address safety, security, and resilience in order to continue reducing accidents 

and fatalities, and to address special risks to our physical and cyber infrastructure.

5. Increased global economic competition will:

• Lead to a “significant amount of goods moved by air, truck, and train through land border crossings 

with Mexico and Canada.”

• Force ports to “address congestion and equipment-shortage challenges generated by bigger, new 

generation container ships as well as the larger bulk ships that are now able to transit the expanded 

Panama Canal.” This will involve “investing to modernize their facilities by dredging harbors, 

raising bridges, automating and expanding container yards, purchasing larger ship-to-shore cranes, 

and improving roads and rail connections to surface infrastructure.”

• Result in “a surge in domestic energy production and increased domestic manufacturing and 

assembly work.”
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

6. Application and development of new technologies will:

• Enable faster and more accurate analysis of freight routes, travel times, and infrastructure capacity.

• Increase productivity in the freight industry and change the skill sets needed to work in freight.

• Automate and expedite inspection processes, improving safety and lowering costs. 

• Transform freight transportation through autonomous vehicle technologies.

• Provide many benefits through positive train control and next generation air traffic control.

Policy Context

On December 4, 2015, the President signed the first long-term transportation reauthorization act in a decade, 

the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act). This Act provides 5 years of funding certainty 

for infrastructure planning and investment, including $305 billion over FY 2016-2020 for all modes. The 

FAST Act establishes a national policy of maintaining and improving the condition and performance of the 

National Multimodal Freight Network (“the Network”), described below, to ensure that the Network provides 

a foundation for the U.S. to compete in the global economy. The FAST Act specifies goals associated 

with this national policy related to the condition, safety, security, efficiency, productivity, resiliency, and 

reliability of the Network, and also includes goals to reduce the adverse environmental impacts of freight 

movement on the Network. These goals are to be pursued in a manner that is not burdensome to State and 

local governments. (49 U.S.C. 70101). With regard to freight, the FAST Act includes the following two 

programs: 

• National Highway Freight Program: Provides $1.2 billion per year on average for States according to a 

formula, for construction, operational improvements, freight planning, and performance measures. Up to 

10 percent of this budget can be spent on rail, port or intermodal projects. The National Highway Freight 

Program requires State freight plans. 

• FASTLANE Grant Program: Provides $900 million per year on average for competitive grants or 

Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loans. These funds can be used for 

projects on the National Highway Freight Network, National Highway System, rail and intermodal 

infrastructure, and rail-highway grade crossings. States, large metropolitan planning organizations, 

Tribes, localities, and Federal Land Management Agencies may apply. The first round of awards can be 

found on the FASTLANE website (https://www.transportation.gov/fastlanegrants). 

To implement the two programs above, the FAST Act:

• Requires a national freight strategic plan that presents multi-modal freight policy goals. 

• Requires the designation of a National Multimodal Freight Network.

• Requires the designation of a National Highway Freight Network.

• Requires State freight plans.

• Encourages State freight advisory committees. 

In addition to this new program introduced by the FAST Act, there are many existing programs that will 

continue to be used in the freight sector to fund capital expenses. Some of the larger ones include:

• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) programs such as the National Highway Performance 

Program (NHPP), the Surface Transportation Program (STP), and the Highway Safety Improvement 

Program (HSIP).

• Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grants.

• The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ).

• The TIFIA credit assistance program.
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Funding Overview

Isolating the funding of freight transportation infrastructure is difficult because many freight-related projects 

benefit passenger transportation as well. Therefore, this section describes funding of the whole transportation 

sector. Financing freight projects is often complex because they tend to be costly to undertake and regularly 

involve a variety of modes, jurisdictions, and stakeholders, each operating with separate objectives and 

timeframes.

As can be seen from Table 38, the government (Federal, State, and local) spent $350 billion on the transportation 

system in 2012, with the majority going toward highways. Revenues came from each of the modes in roughly the 

same proportion as expenditures. Over time, expenditures grew at 1.6 percent per year from 2000 to 2010, and 

accelerated to 3.1 percent per year as a result of the programs introduced to stimulate the economy following the 

economic recession of 2008. Government spending on railroads increased quickly from 2000 to 2010, at almost 

double digit pace, although, since 2010, it appears to be decreasing. However, most spending on rail came from 

private Class 1 railroads. It is estimated that from 1980 to 2013, over half a trillion dollars was spent by Class 1 

railroads on rail infrastructure, representing 40 percent of all revenues during this time. 

Table 38. Public sector expenditures by different transportation modes, 2000 to 2012.

Expenditures on 

Modes

Billions of 

USD 2012 

Percent of 

USD

Percentage Average Annual Growth Rate 

(chained 2009 USD)

2000 to 2010 2010 to 2012

Highway 225.9 64.5 0.7 5.3

Transit 54.9 15.7 2.3 0.2

Railroads 2.3 0.7 9.7 -9.3

Air 50.9 14.5 3.5 -1.3

Water 14.9 4.2 3.8 -1.4

Pipeline 0.2 0.1 2.5 -3.2

General 1.3 0.4 4.4 34.5

Total 350.4 100.0 1.6 3.1

USD=U.S. dollars

Source: BTS Government Transportation Financial Statistics 2014, Table 2-A and Table 2-B (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/

publications/government_transportation_financial_statistics/2014/table_2a.html).

Table 39. Public sector revenues by different transportation modes, 2000 to 2012.

Revenues from 

Modes

Billions of 

USD 2012 

Percent 

of USD

Percentage Average Annual Growth Rate 

(chained 2009 USD)

2000 to 2010 2010 to 2012

Highway 206.3 64.5 2.0 -1.5

Transit 55.2 17.2 0.9 -1.3

Railroads 1.8 0.5 9.3 -20.1

Air 41.8 13.1 3.2 -3.3

Water 13.3 4.1 2.6 -1.8
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2016 FREIGHT QUICK FACTS REPORT

Revenues from 

Modes

Billions of 

USD 2012 

Percent 

of USD

Percentage Average Annual Growth Rate 

(chained 2009 USD)

2000 to 2010 2010 to 2012

Pipeline 0.1 0.0 0.6 -6.9

General 1.5 0.5 -0.7 26.2

Total 319.8 100.0 2.0 -1.8

USD=U.S. dollars

Source: BTS Government Transportation Financial Statistics 2014, Table 2-A and Table 2-B (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/

publications/government_transportation_financial_statistics/2014/table_2a.html).

Table 40 shows that, on the whole, 43.4 percent of expenditures in 2012 went toward capital projects while 

56.6 percent went toward maintenance and operations. This table also shows that State and local governments 

made the majority of expenditures, which in this table includes grants from the Federal government. 

Table 40. Public expenditures by type and level of government, 2012.

Mode

Billions of 

USD 2012

Type of Expense (percent) Level of Government (percent)

Capital

Maintenance 

& Operations Federal State & Local

Highway 192.2 53.4 46.6 4.2 95.8

Transit 51.4 21.4 78.6 0.2 99.8

Railroads 1.6 54.6 45.4 100.0 0.0

Air 39.0 32.6 67.4 43.6 56.4

Water 12.4 16.5 83.5 61.0 39.0

Pipeline 0.08 0.0 100.0 70.9 29.1

General 1.42 0.0 100.0 98.6 1.4

Total 298.1 43.4 56.6 12.0 88.0

USD=U.S. dollars

Source: BTS Government Transportation Financial Statistics 2014, Table 15-A (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/

government_transportation_financial_statistics/2014/table_15a.html )and Table 21-A (http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/

government_transportation_financial_statistics/2014/table_21b.html).

Conclusion

The Freight Quick Facts Report 2016 aims to supply practitioners and the public at large with a user-friendly 

source of information about the Nation’s vital freight system. It mines and supplies a host of data resources 

to provide a bird’s eye view of the extent and usage of freight infrastructure in the United States; the 

impacts of the freight transportation system on the economy, environment, and society; and the key freight 

trends driving policy and funding issues. The Report is organized in tabular fashion so that its data can be 

integrated with other information sources for use by a variety of stakeholders.

The economic prosperity and competitiveness of America depends upon the efficiency and performance of 

the Nation’s complex freight transportation system. The Freight Quick Facts Report 2016 provides data and 

context to help stakeholders steward the system and adapt to evolving needs.
Source: Thinkstock
U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration 

Office of Operations 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Toll-Free “Help Line” 866-367-7487

www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov

September 2016

FHWA-HOP-16-083