Pocket 

Guide to

Transportation

 Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Research and Innovative

Technology Administration

2007
For additional copies of this guide or information 

about the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and 

its products and services, contact:

Product Orders

Phone 202-366-DATA

Internet: www.bts.gov

Mail: Product Orders

 Bureau of Transportation Statistics

 Research and Innovative

 Technology Administration

 U.S. Department of Transportation

 400 Seventh Street, SW, Room 4117

 Washington, DC 20590

Information Service

Phone: 800-853-1351

Email: answers@bts.gov

January 2007
Pocket Guide to 

Transportation

Bureau of

Transportation

Statistics

Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration

U.S. Department of

Transportation
U.S. Department of

Transportation

Mary E. Peters

Secretary

Maria Cino

Deputy Secretary

Research and

Innovative

Technology

Administration

John Bobo

Administrator (Acting)

Bureau of

Transportation

Statistics

John O’Donnell

Director (Acting)

Acknowledgments

Produced under the

direction of:

Wendell Fletcher

Assistant Director for 

Transportation Analysis

Project Manager

Jennifer Brady

Contributors

Felix Ammah-Tagoe

David Chesser

Xiaoli Han

Getachew Mekonnen

William Moore

Lorisa Smith

Michael Sprung

Nicholas Wical

Alpha Glass Wingfi eld

Jie Zhang
1

America’s transportation system continues to change 

along with the population, work force, and economy. 

The following table puts those changes in perspective: 

Resident population (thous.) 226,542 296,410

Total area (thous. sq. mi.)a 3,619 3,794 (2000)

Total civilian labor force (thous.) 106,940 149,320

Real gross domestic productb $5.2 trillion $11.0 trillion

Median household incomeb,d $34,007 $41,475

Average household incomeb,d $40,445 $56,108 

Average household expendituresb,c $33,915 (1984) $41,625 

Number of households (thous.) 80,776 111,091

Life expectancy at birth (years) 73.7 77.5 (2003)

a

 1980 data include inland water only. Data for 2000 include inland water, 

coastal water, Great Lakes, and territorial water. The Census Bureau 

tabulates area data for the decennial census years only. b

 2000 chained dollars (see Glossary for defi nition). c

 Earliest year available is 1984. 

d

 BTS computations, November 2006.

Sources: Area—U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC), U.S. Census 

Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2006, available at 

www.census.gov, as of Nov. 2006. GDP—USDOC, Bureau of Economic 

Analysis, available at www.bea.gov, as of Oct. 2006. Population, number 

of households, median and average household income—USDOC, 

Census, available at www.census.gov, as of Oct. 2006. Average household 

expenditures, labor force—U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor 

Statistics, available at www.bls.gov, as of Nov. 2006. Life expectancy—

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Life Tables 

2003, Volume 54, Number 14, available at www.cdc.gov, as of Oct. 2006.

 Context 1980 2005

 Glossary 48

 Environment 44

 Economy 32

 Mobility 16

 Security 10

 Safety 4

System Extent and Use 2

Contents
2 Pocket Guide to Transportation

The U.S. transportation system is an extensive, interrelated public and private network of roads, airports, 

railroads, transit routes, waterways, terminals, ports, and 

pipelines. Millions of people and businesses rely on this 

expanding system to get to work, embark on vacations, 

conduct business, and ship goods within the United States 

and abroad. The transportation system links regions and connects small and large cities and urban and rural areas.

1 System Extent and Use

1-1

The Transportation Network: 2005

Highway Public roads

 46,873 miles of Interstate highway

 115,500 miles of other National Highway 

System roads

 3,849,259 miles of other roads

Air Public-use airports

 5,270 airports

 Airports serving large certifi cated carriers 

 26 large hub areasa

 (69 airports), 484 million 

enplaned passengers

 37 medium hub areas (60 airports), 141 

million enplaned passengers 

 66 small hub areas (82 airports), 53 million 

enplaned passengers

 930 nonhub areas (968 airports), 23 million 

enplaned passengers

Rail Miles of railroad operated

 95,664 miles by Class I freight railroads in the 

United Statesb

 15,388 miles by regional freight railroads

 29,197 miles by local freight railroads

 23,000 miles by Amtrak (passenger)c

 (2004)

Mode Components
System Extent and Use 3

Urban transit Directional route-milesd 

 (2004) Bus: 165,854e

 Trolley bus: 425 

 Commuter rail: 4,407 

 Heavy rail: 1,596 

 Light rail: 1,097 

 Stations 

Commuter rail: 1,153 

 Heavy rail: 1,023 

 Light rail: 723 

Water Navigable channels: 26,000 miles (2003)

 Ferry routesf

: 623 directional route miles (2004)

Commercial waterway facilitiesa (2004)

Great Lakes: 600 deep-draft 

 154 shallow-draft 

 Inland: 2,320 shallow-draft 

 Ocean: 4,298 deep-draft 

 1,761 shallow-draft 

 Locks: 257 

Pipeline Oil

 Crude lines: 60,043 miles of pipe 

 Product lines: 71,310 miles of pipe 

Gas (2004)

 Transmission: 298,900 miles of pipe 

 Distribution: 1,139,800 miles of pipe 

a

 See Glossary for defi nitions. b There are also 1,368 miles of railroad 

operated within the U.S. Class I freight railroad system that are owned 

by Canadian railroads. c

 The Amtrak mileage includes the 745 miles of 

trackage it owns and route-miles operated on the tracks of the freight 

railroads. 

d

 Directly operated service. Does not include contracted service. 

e Includes directional route-miles on exclusive right-of-way, controlled 

right-of-way, and mixed traffi c.

Sources: Various sources, as cited in USDOT, RITA, BTS, National Transportation 

Statistics, available at http://www.bts.gov; Association of American Railroads, 

Railroad Facts, 2006 (Washington, DC: 2006); USDOT, Federal Highway 

Administration, Highway Statistics 2005 (Washington, DC: 2006), table HM-18; 

Oil & Gas Journal, Sept. 11, 2006; USDOT, Federal Transit Administration, 2004 

National Transit Summaries and Trends, tables 21, 23, and 24, available at http://

www.ntdprogram.com/ntdprogram/pubs.htm; USDOT, RITA, BTS, “Airport 

Activity Statistics of Certifi cated Air Carriers, Summary Tables, 12 Months Ending Dec. 31, 2005,” 2005; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Institute for Water 

Resources, Navigation Data Center, The U.S. Waterway System Facts, December 

2005 (Alexandria, VA: 2005).

Mode Components
4 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Air

 Large U.S. air carriera 1 39 92 P22

 Commuter air carriera 37 6 5 P0

 On-demand air taxia 105 51 71 P18

 General aviationa 1,239 770 596 P562

Highwayb 51,091 44,599 41,945 43,443

Pipeline, gas and 

 hazardous liquid 19 9 38 19

Railroadc 584 599 512 535

Transitd N 339 295 183

Waterborne

 Commercial vessel

 Vessel related, commercial ship 206 85 53 U

 Nonvessel-relatede

, commercial ship 281 101 134 U

 Recreational boating 1,360 865 701 697

a

 Includes people on planes and on the ground. b Includes motor vehicle 

occupants, nonoccupants, and fatalities at railroad crossings. 

c

 Includes fatalities from nontrain incidents as well as train incidents 

and accidents. Also includes train occupants and nonoccupants except 

motor vehicle occupants at grade crossings. d Fatalities resulting from 

all reportable incidents, not just accidents. Includes commuter rail, heavy 

rail, light rail, motorbus, demand response, van pool, and automated 

guideway. e Fatalities unrelated to vessel accidents, e.g., individual falling 

overboard and drowning.

Key: N = data are nonexistent or not cited because of reporting changes; P 

= preliminary.; U = unavailable.

Sources: Various sources, as cited in USDOT, RITA, BTS, National 

Transportation Statistics, table 2-1, available at http://www.bts.gov, as of 

September 2006. 2005—Highway: USDOT, National Highway Traffi c 

Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis, personal 

communication, October 2006; Transit: USDOT, Volpe Center, personal 

communication, October 2006; Recreational boating: U.S. Department 

of Homeland Security, Coast Guard, Boating Statistics 2005, available at 

http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/stats.htm, as of September 2006.

The safety of the traveling public is of major concern 

for the U.S. Department of Transportation. Although 

pro gress has been made in reducing fatalities, roughly 43 

percent of U.S. deaths due to unintentional injury involve 

transportation. Roughly 96 percent of transportation 

fatalities arise from motor vehicle crashes. 

2 Safety

 Mode 1980 1990 2000 2005

2-1

Transportation Fatalities by Mode
Safety 5

Passenger car occupants 19,091 42.6

Light-truck occupants 12,602 28.1

Pedestrians struck by motor vehicles 4,641 10.4

Motorcyclists 4,008 8.9

Large-truck occupants 761 1.7

Pedalcyclists struck by motor vehicles 725 1.6

Recreational boating 676 1.5

Other or unknown motor vehicle occupants 639 1.4

General aviation 558 1.2

Railroad trespassers (excl. grade crossings)a

 482 1.1

Other nonoccupants struck by motor vehiclesb 128 0.29

Grade crossings, not involving motor vehiclesa 83 0.19

Air taxi 64 0.14

Heavy-rail transit (e.g., subway) 59 0.13

Waterborne transportation (nonvessel-related) 57 0.13

Bus occupants (school, intercity, transit) 41 0.09

Waterborne transportation (vessel-related) 36 0.08

Private grade crossings, with motor vehiclesa 33 0.07

Rail employees on duty and contractorsa 25 0.06

Light-rail transit 22 0.05

Rail-related, not otherwise specifi eda

 20 0.04

Gas distribution pipelines 18 0.04

Transit buses, not accident-related 16 0.04

Air carriers 14 0.03

Hazardous liquid pipelines 5 0.01

Passengers on railroad trains 3 <0.01

Total, all modes 44,807 100

Other counts, redundant with above 

 Large-truck occupants and nonoccupants 5,190

 Public grade crossings, with motor vehiclesc 252

 Commuter raila,d 86

 Transit buses, accident-relatede 61

 Outside planes in crashesf 1

a

 Unless otherwise specifi ed, rail categories include fatalities outside trains. b

 Includes all nonoccupant fatalities in motor vehicle (MV) crashes, except 

pedalcyclists and pedestrians. 

c

 Fatalities at grade crossings with MVs are included under relevant MV 

modes above. 

d Commuter rail fatalities are counted under various rail categories above. 

e Transit bus and demand-response occupant fatalities are counted under 

“bus,” and nonoccupant fatalities are counted under “pedestrians,” “pedalcyclists,” or other MV categories. f

 Includes nonoccupant fatalities in 

aviation accidents.

Sources: Various sources as cited in USDOT, RITA, BTS, National Transportation Statistics, table 2-4, available at http://www.bts.gov, as of October 2006.

 Category Number %

2-2

Distribution of Transportation Fatalities: 2004
6 Pocket Guide to Transportation

2-3

Fatalities by Number of Motor Vehicles in Crash 

and by Alcohol Involvement: 2005

Occupants 37,594 14,370 38

Single-vehicle crashes 18,806 9,016 48

Two-vehicle crashes 15,649 4,449 28

More than two-vehicle

 crashes 3,139 905 29

Pedestrians 4,881 2,180 45

Single-vehicle crashes 4,443 1,946 44

Multiple-vehicle crashes 438 234 53

Pedalcyclists 784 281 36

Single-vehicle crashes 755 268 35

Multiple-vehicle crashes 29 14 48

Others/unknown 184 54 29

Total 43,443 16,885 39

a

 Fatalities in crash category that involve alcohol.

b

 Percentage of fatalities in crash category that involve alcohol.

Notes: Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding. 

A motor vehicle crash is considered to be alcohol-related if at least one 

driver or nonoccupant (such as a pedestrian or pedalcyclist) involved 

in the crash is determined to have had a blood alcohol concentration 

of 0.01 grams per deciliter or greater. 

The National Highway Traffi c Safety Administration estimates alcohol 

involvement when test results are unknown.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffi c 

Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database, personal communication, October 2006.

 Number of

 Crash fatalities in Alcohol 

 category category involvementa Percent b
Safety 7

2-4

Fatality Rates for Selected Modes

Notes: Air carrier data were smoothed using an exponential smoothing 

model, with a weight of 0.945 to reduce the year-to-year fl uctuations. 

Air carrier fatalities resulting from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks 

include only those persons onboard aircraft.

Sources: U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), National Highway 

Traffi c Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis, 

Traffi c Safety Facts 2004 tables 7-10, as of March 2006. 

Air carriers and general aviation—USDOT, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, tables 2-9 and 2-14, available at http://www.bts.gov, as 

of September 2006.

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0 Per 100 million vehicle-miles

Passenger car occupants

1985 1990 1995 2000 2004

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0 Per 100 million vehicle-miles

Light-truck occupants

1985 1990 1995 2000 2004

1985 1990 1995 2004

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0 Per 100 million vehicle-miles

Large-truck occupants

2000 1985 1990 1995 2000 2004

0

10

20

30

40

50

60 Per 100 million vehicle-miles

Motorcycle riders

Smoothed

Actual

Per 100,000 aircraft departures

0

3

6

9

1985 1990 1995 2000 2004

Air carriers (actual and

smoothed fatality rates)

1985 1990 1995 2000 2004

Per 100,000 aircraft-hours flown

0

1

2

3

4

5

General aviation
8 Pocket Guide to Transportation

2-5

Injured Persons by Transportation Mode

Air

 Large U.S. air carrier 19 29 29 13

 Commuter air carrier 14 11 7 0

 On-demand air taxi 43 36 12 23

 General aviation 681 409 309 270

Highwaya

 N 3,230,000 3,189,000 P2,675,000

Pipeline, gas and 

 hazardous liquid 192 76 81 47

Railroadb 58,696 22,736 10,424 8,116

Transitc N 54,556 56,697 U

Waterborne

 Vessel-related 

 commercial ship 180 175 130 U

 Nonvessel relatedd

 commercial ship U U 567 U

 Recreational boating 2,650 3,822 4,355 3,451

a

 Includes passenger car occupants, motorcyclists, light-duty and large-truck 

occupants, bus occupants, occupants of unknown vehicle types, and 

pedestrians, pedalcyclists, and other nonmotorists. b

 Injuries resulting from train accidents, train and nontrain incidents, and 

occupational illness. Includes Amtrak. Also includes train occupants and 

nonoccupants except motor vehicle occupants at grade crossings. c

 Injuries resulting from all reportable incidents, not just from accidents. 

Includes commuter rail, heavy rail, light rail, motorbus, demand response, 

van pool, and automated guideway. d

 Injuries unrelated to vessel accidents, e.g., an individual getting a cut while 

onboard a vessel.

Key: N = data are nonexistent; P = preliminary; U = unavailable.

Note: Each mode may use different reporting criteria for injuries.

Sources: Except as noted, various sources, as cited in U.S. Department of 

Transportation (USDOT), Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics,

table 2-2, available at http://www.bts.gov, forthcoming. 2005 highway—

USDOT, National Highway Traffi c Safety Administration, National Center 

for Statistics and Analysis, personal communication, October 2006. 2005 

recreational boating—U.S. Coast Guard, Boating Statistics 2005 (annual 

issues), available at http://www.uscgboating.org/, as of October 2006.

 Mode 1980 1990 2000 2005
Safety 9

2-6

Hazardous Materials Transportation Incidents, 

Injuries and Fatalities

Highway 7,297 12,869 15,063 R13,101 13,352

Accident related 249 253 R329 R283 304

Injuries 311 296 164 R

158 171

Fatalities 8 7 16 R14 24

Rail 1,279 1,155 1,058 R773 738

Accident related 48 50 62 R46 50

Injuries 73 71 82 R122 685

Fatalities 0 0 0 3 10

Air 297 817 1,419 995 1,654

Accident related 0 0 R3 09

Injuries 39 33 5 R11 78

Fatalities 0 0 0 0 0

Water 7 12 17 R17 68

Accident related 0 0 0 0 0

Injuries 0 0 0 0 0

Fatalities 0 0 0 0 0

Liquid 180 188 146 R142 137

Injuries 7 11 4 R16 2

Fatalities 3 3 1 5 2

Natural gas 

 distribution 109 97 154 R175 172

Injuries 52 43 59 41 38

Fatalities 6 16 22 18 14

Natural gas 

 transmission 89 64 80 R122 182

Injuries 17 10 18 3 7

Fatalities 0 2 15 R0 0

Key: R = Revised

Notes: Accident related excludes human errors, package failures, and unreported cases. Water data are for incidents involving packaged materials 

only and do not include incidents where the vessel is the container (e.g., 

a barge or oil tanker). Nonpipeline reporting requirements changed in 

2002.

Sources: USDOT, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Hazardous Materials Information System Database. 1990 

data—available at http://hazmat.dot.gov/pubs/biennial/ 96_97biennial.rpt.

pdf, as of December 2005. 1995–2005 data—available at http://hazmat.

dot.gov/pubs/inc/data/2005/2005frm.htm, as of August 2006. Pipeline 

data—USDOT, PHMSA, Offi ce of Pipeline Safety, available at http://ops.

dot.gov/stats/stats.htm, as of August 2006.

 1990 1995 2000 2004 2005

 Pipeline 1990 1995 2000 2004 2005
10 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Ensuring security of all transportation systems and 

the people who use them is a national priority. While 

much of the initial national focus after the September 11, 

2001, terrorist attacks was on aircraft and airports, 

attention is also directed at other modes, including rail, 

water, highways, and pipelines. Another security issue is 

the U.S. dependency on foreign sources of oil. The U.S. 

transportation sector remains almost entirely dependent 

on petroleum as an energy source and nearly two-thirds 

of the petroleum used in the United States is currently 

imported. 

3 Security

3-1

International Piracy and 

Armed Robbery at Sea

500

400

300

200

100

0

1997 1998 2000 2002 2004 2005

Number of incidents

Note: Incidents include attempts and threatening actions.

Source: International Maritime Organization, Annual Report (various 

years), available at http://www.imo.org/home.asp, as of March 2006.
Security 11

3-2

Prohibited Items Intercepted at U.S. Airport 

Screening Checkpoints: 2003–2005

Other cutting instruments 2,973,413 3,567,731 3,276,941

Knives 1,961,849 2,058,652 1,822,888

Incendiaries and explosive/

 fl ammable materials 494,123 693,649 407,086

Clubs 25,139 28,813 20,531

Box cutters 20,991 22,350 21,319

Firearms 683 650 2,217

Other 638,414 717,754 10,358,159

Total prohibited items 6,114,612 7,089,599 15,909,141

Notes: Other cutting instruments includes scissors, hatchets, swords, sabers, 

meat cleavers, ice axes, and picks.

Knives includes any length and type except round-bladed, butter, and plastic 

cutlery. 

Clubs includes martial arts items, baseball bats, night sticks, hammers, pool 

cues, and billy clubs.

Firearms includes any weapon (including a starter gun) that is designed to 

or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of an 

explosive, as well as spear guns, BB guns, fl are pistols, compressed air 

guns, and stunning devices. 

Other refers to tools, self-defense items, compressed gas cylinders, bleach, 

and certain sporting goods. The jump in number of other prohibited 

items in 2005 is a result of the inclusion of lighters as prohibited items 

as of April 14, 2005.

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security 

Administration, personal communication, November 2006.

 Items 2003 2004 2005
12 Pocket Guide to Transportation

3-3

U.S. Petroleum Production and 

Consumption: 1975–2005

25

20

15

10

5

0

Million barrels per day

Total consumption

Transportation consumption

Total production

1975 1985 1995 2005

Note: 2005 data are preliminary.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, 

Annual Energy Review 2005 (Washington, DC: July 2006), tables 5.1 and 

5.13a-d.
Security 13

3-4

Transportation’s Share of

U.S. Petroleum Use: 1975–2005

0

3

6

9

12

15

Million barrels per day

Transportation

Industry

Buildings

1975 1995 2005 1985

Utilities

Note: 2005 data are preliminary.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, 

Annual Energy Review 2005 (Washington, DC: July 2006), tables 5.13a–d.
14 Pocket Guide to Transportation

3-5

U.S. Oil Imports

Notes: OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) 

members are Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, 

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. 

Former members Ecuador (until 1992) and Gabon (until 1994) are 

included in 1990 and prior years.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Admin istration, 

Monthly Energy Review, August 2006, tables 3.3d and 3.3h, available at 

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/petro.html, as of September 2006.

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2003 2004 2005

Total OPEC Total Non-OPEC

Thousand barrels per day, average
Security 15

3-6

Major Suppliers of U.S. Imported Crude Oil

and Petroleum Products

(Thousand barrels per day, average; rank in 2005)

Canada 455 770 934 1,332 1,807 2,172

Mexico 533 816 755 1,068 1,373 1,646

Saudi Arabia 1,261 168 1,339 1,344 1,572 1,523

Venezuela 481 605 1,025 1,480 1,546 1,506

Nigeria 857 293 800 627 896 1,147

Iraq 28 46 518 0 620 522

Algeria 488 187 280 234 225 477

Angola 42 110 237 367 301 465

Russia 1 8 45 25 72 398

United Kingdom 176 310 189 383 366 387

U.S. Virgin Islands 388 247 282 278 291 326

Kuwait 27 21 86 218 272 231

Norway 144 32 102 273 343 230

Colombia 4 23 182 219 342 196

Total, major 

suppliers 4,884 3,628 6,729 7,823 9,954 11,226

 Total, all 

 U.S. imports 6,909 5,067 8,018 8,835 11,459 13,527

Note: The country of origin for petroleum products may not be the country 

of origin for the crude oil used to produce the products. For example, 

refi ned products imported from western European refi neries may have 

been produced from Middle Eastern crude oil.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, 

Monthly Energy Review, August 2006, tables 3.1a, 3.3a–h, available at http://

www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/petro.html, as of September 2006.

 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
16 Pocket Guide to Transportation

The U.S. transportation network makes possible a 

high degree of personal mobility and freight activity. 

The data in this section show growth in travel and freight 

shipments over time. Factors infl uencing this growth 

include, among others: vehicle availability, travel costs, 

population, congestion, the economy, and consumer 

income. 

4 Mobility

4-1

Passenger Travel and Freight Transportation

Per Capita

Passenger travel (2001)

 Trips

 Daily trips per person 4.1

 Daily trips per person per yeara 1,483 

 Miles

 Daily miles per person 40

 Daily miles per person per yeara 14,524

Domestic freight transportation (2002)

Tons per person, annually R

68

Ton-miles per person, annually R15,311

a

 Calculated on an annualized basis.

Key: R = revised 

Notes: Data used for passenger travel are from the National Household 

Travel Survey (NHTS) travel-day fi le and include trips of all lengths; 

about 95 percent of these daily trips were 30 miles or less.

Calculations are based on weighted estimates from the 2001 NHTS.

Sources: Passenger—U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), 

Federal Highway Administration and Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration (RITA), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), National 

Household Travel Survey (Washington, DC: 2002). Freight—USDOT, RITA, 

BTS, based on tonnage and ton-miles data from Freight In America: A New 

National Picture, January 2006, available at www.bts.gov, as of December 

2006.

 Number
 Mobility 17

4-2

Number of Aircraft, Railcars, Vehicles, and Vessels

Air

 Air carrier 3,808 6,083 8,055 8,186

 General aviation 211,045 198,000 217,533 219,426

Highway

 Automobiles 121,600,843 133,700,496 133,621,420 136,430,651

 Other 2-axle,

 4-tire vehiclesa 27,875,934 48,274,555 79,084,979 91,845,327

 Buses (municipally 

 owned transit and 

 commercial, federal, 

 and school buses) 528,789 626,987 746,125 795,274

 Motorcycles 5,693,940 4,259,462 4,346,068 5,780,870

 Trucks

 Single-unit 4,373,784 4,486,981 5,926,030 6,161,028

 Combination 1,416,869 1,708,895 2,096,619 2,010,335

Rail—Passenger

 Amtrak—Cars 2,128 1,863 1,894 1,211

 Amtrak Locomotives 419 318 378 276

 Commuter railcars

 and locomotives 4,500 5,007 5,498 P

6,228

 Transitb 10,654 11,332 12,168 P

12,480

Rail—freight:

 Class I–Freight cars 1,168,114 658,902 560,154 473,773

 Class I–Locomotives 28,094 18,835 20,028 22,015

Other freight cars 542,713 553,359 820,642 814,147

Waterborne

 Nonself-propelled

 vessels (barges)c,d 31,662 31,209 33,152 31,296

 Self-propelled vesselsc,d 7,126 8,236 8,202 8,994

 Oceangoing shipsd

 

 (1,000 gross tons 

 and over) 864 636 454 412

 Recreational boats 

 (numbered boats) 8,577,857 10,996,253 12,782,143 12,781,476

a

 Includes vans, pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, and other 2-axle, 4-tire 

motor vehicles that are not passenger cars. b

 Includes light and heavy rail 

only. c

 See Glossary for defi nitions. d U.S.-fl ag vessels. 

Key: P = preliminary.

Sources: Except as noted, various sources, as cited in U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, table 1-11, available at 

http://www.bts.gov, as of October 2006.

 Mode 1980 1990 2000 2004
18 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-3

Vehicle-Miles

(Millions)

Air 

 Air carrier 2,068 2,523 3,963 5,664 6,552

 General aviation 3,207 5,204 4,548 a

N a

N

Highway

 Passenger cars 916,700 1,111,596 1,408,266 1,600,287 1,704,982

 Other 2-axle, 

 4-tire vehiclesb 123,286 290,935 574,571 923,059 1,014,342

 Motorcycles 2,979 10,214 9,557 10,469 10,048

 Busesc 4,544 6,059 5,726 7,590 6,637

 Trucks:

 Single-unit 27,081 39,813 51,901 70,500 81,107

 Combination 35,134 68,678 94,341 135,020 145,398

Raild

:

 Transite 441 403 561 648 P

710

 Commuter N 179 213 271 P

295

 Intercity/Amtrakf 690 235 301 368 308

 Class 1 freight 29,890 29,277 26,159 34,590 37,071

Other transit g N 15 324 833 P

986

a

 The Federal Aviation Administration has estimated vehicle-miles for general 

aviation aircraft through 1997, relying in part on hours-fl own survey data. 

Vehicle-miles estimates for subsequent years are not yet available.

b

 Includes vans, pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, and other 2-axle, 4-tire 

motor vehicles that are not passenger cars.

c

 Includes municipally owned transit and commercial, federal, and school buses.

d

 Car-miles.

e

 Includes light and heavy rail only.

f

 Fiscal year data. Amtrak began operations in 1971.

g

 Includes demand response, ferryboat, and other transit not specifi ed; 1980 

data include “other transit” only.

Key: N = data are nonexistent; P = preliminary.

Sources: Except as noted, various sources, as cited in U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau 

of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, table 1-32, available at http://www.bts.gov, as of October 2006.

2004 transit, commuter, and other transit: American Public Transportation 

Association, 2006 Public Transportation Fact Book, table 12 and 15, available at 

http://www.apta.com/research/stats/, as of October 2006.

 Mode 1970 1980 1990 2000 2004
 Mobility 19

4-4

Passenger-Miles

(Millions)

Air

 Air carrier 108,442 204,368 345,873 516,129 557,893

 General aviation 9,100 14,700 13,000 15,200 U

Highway

 Passenger cars 1,750,897 2,011,989 2,281,391 2,544,457 2,693,872

 Other 2-axle, 

 4-tire vehiclesa 225,613 520,774 999,754 1,467,664 1,758,542

 Busesb N N 121,398 160,919 140,716

 Motorcycles 3,277 12,257 12,424 11,516 12,761

Rail:

 Transitc N 10,939 12,046 15,200 P15,930

 Commuter 4,592 6,516 7,082 9,402 P

9,719

 Intercity/

 Amtrakd 6,179 4,503 6,057 5,498 5,511

Other transite N 390 841 1,631 P

1,874

a

 Includes vans, pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, and other 2-axle, 4-tire 

motor vehicles that are not passenger cars.

b

 Includes municipally owned transit and commercial, federal, and school buses.

c

 Includes light and heavy rail only.

d

 Fiscal year data. Amtrak began operations in 1971.

e Includes demand response, ferryboat, and other transit not specifi ed; 1980 

data include ferryboat and “other transit” only.

Key: N = data are nonexistent; P = preliminary; U = unavailable.

Sources: Various sources, as cited in U.S. Department of Transportation, 

Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, table 1-37, available at 

http://www.bts.gov, as of September 2006.

 Mode 1970 1980 1990 2000 2004
20 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-5

U.S. Domestic Freight Ton-Miles by Mode

(Billions)

Total 3,404 3,622 4,329 4,575 34.4

Air 4.8 10.4 15.8 16.5 239.9

Truck 629.7 848.8 1,192.8 1,314.6 108.8

Railroad 932 1,064.4 1,546.3 1,684.5 80.7

Water 921.8 833.5 645.8 621.2 –32.6

Pipeline 915.7 864.8 927.9 938.0 2.4

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, forthcoming update to National Transportation Statistics, Table 1-46b, available at 

http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/.

 Percent

 change

 Mode 1980 1990 2000 2004 1980–2004
 Mobility 21

4-6

Households by Number of Vehicles: 2005

 1 vehicle

(33%)

 0 

vehicles

(9%)

 2 vehicles

(38%)

 3+ vehicles

(20%)

Note: Data covers the household population and exclude the population 

living in institutions, college dormitories and other group quarters.

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, American 

Community Survey, annual issues, available at http://www.census.gov/

acs/www/index.html, as of November 2006.
22 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-7

Travel Between the United States 

and Foreign Countries

Overseas

overnight

North 

American

overnight

North 

American 

same-day

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Total

Millions of visitors

2000 2004

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. 

International Travel and Transportation Trends, table 1-1 (Washington, DC: 

September 2006).
 Mobility 23

4-8

Top 20 U.S. Gateways for Nonstop International 

Air Travel: 2004 and 2005

(Thousands of international passengersa

)

1 New York (JFK), NY 17,090 18,502 8.3

2 Los Angeles, CA 15,843 16,858 6.4

3 Miami, FL 14,565 14,621 0.4

4 Chicago (O’Hare), IL 10,231 11,013 7.6

5 Newark, NJ 8,702 9,133 4.9

6 San Francisco, CA 7,293 7,840 7.5

7 Atlanta, GA 6,843 7,453 8.9

8 Houston (Bush), TX 6,213 6,571 5.8

9 Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX 4,680 5,146 10.0

10

Washington 

(Dulles), DC 4,527 4,792 5.8

11 Honolulu, HI 4,323 4,410 2.0

12 Boston, MA 3,798 3,902 2.7

13 Detroit, MI 3,616 3,823 5.7.

14 Philadelphia, PA 3,624 3,694 1.9

15

Minneapolis-St. Paul, 

MN 2,523 2,599 3.0

16 Guam Island, GU 2,282 2,456 7.6

17 Seattle-Tacoma, WA 2,336 2,356 0.8

18 Fort Lauderdale, FL 1,624 2,181 34.3

19 Orlando, FL 2,027 2,161 6.6

20 San Juan, PR 2,027 2,039 0.6

Total, top 20 U.S. 

 international airports 124,350 131,550 5.8

Top 20, 

 percentage of total 87.4 87.2

Total, all U.S. 

 international airports 142,242 150,939 6.1

a

 International passengers are residents of any country traveling nonstop to 

and from the United States on U.S. and foreign carriers.

Note: The data cover all passengers arriving and departing from U.S. 

airports on nonstop commercial international fl ights with 60 seats 

or more.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Offi ce of 

Airline Information, T-100 Segment data, February 2006.

 2005 Gateway % change

 rank airport 2004 2005 2004–2005
24 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-9

U.S.-Mexican Border Land-Passenger Crossings: 2005

(Thousands)

Total U.S.-Mexico crossings

Personal vehicles 91,556

Personal vehicle passengers 186,067

Buses 256

Bus passengers 3,170

Train passengers 18

Pedestrians 45,830

Personal vehicles—top 5 gateways

San Ysidro, CA 17,208

El Paso, TX 15,972

Brownsville, TX 7,104

Hidalgo, TX 6,970

Otay Mesa, CA 6,673

Personal vehicle passengers—top 5 gateways

San Ysidro, CA 32,265

El Paso, TX 29,181

Brownsville, TX 14,615

Laredo, TX 14,017

Hidalgo, TX 13,989

Buses—top 5 gateways

San Ysidro, CA 106

Otay Mesa, CA 39

Laredo, TX 36

Hidalgo, TX 28

El Paso, TX 16

Bus passengers—top 5 gateways

San Ysidro, CA 995

Laredo, TX 827

Hidalgo, TX 369

El Paso, TX 276

Otay Mesa, CA 252

Train passengers—top 5 gateways

El Paso, TX 8

Eagle Pass, TX 7

Calexico East, CA 1

Nogales, AZ 1

Otay Mesa/San Ysidro, CA 0.5

Pedestrians—top 5 gateways

San Ysidro, CA 8,156

El Paso, TX 7,614

Nogales, AZ 6,930

Calexico, CA 4,481

Laredo, TX 4,356

Note: Totals may not add due to rounding.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Border Crossing/Entry Data, available at http://www.bts.gov/itt/, as of August 2006.

 Entering the U.S.
 Mobility 25

4-10

U.S.-Canadian Border Land-Passenger Crossings: 2005

(Thousands)

Total U.S.-Canada crossings

Personal vehicles 30,352

Personal vehicle passengers 62,501

Buses 153

Bus passengers 3,855

Train passengers 236

Pedestrians 605

Personal vehicles—top 5 gateways

Detroit, MI 6,035

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 6,034

Blaine, WA 2,482

Port Huron, MI 1,953

Calais, ME 1,174

Personal vehicle passengers—top 5 gateways

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 13,224

Detroit, MI 10,655

Blaine, WA 4,868

Port Huron, MI 4,002

Champlain-Rouses Point, NY 2,921

Buses—top 5 gateways

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 45

Detroit, MI 37

Blaine, WA 13

Skagway, AK 10

Sault Ste. Marie, MI 10

Bus passengers—top 5 gateways

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 1,367

Detroit, MI 931

Champlain-Rouses Point, NY 296

Blaine, WA 295

Skagway, AK 134

Train passengers—top 5 gateways

Skagway, AK 67

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 36

Blaine, WA 35

Champlain-Rouses Point, NY 30

Port Huron, MI 19

Pedestrians—top 5 gateways

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 370

Calais, ME 44

Sumas, WA 34

International Falls, MN 24

Point Roberts, WA 22

Note: Totals may not add due to rounding.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Border 

Crossing/Entry Data, available at http://www.bts.gov/itt/, as of August 

2006.

 Entering the U.S.
26 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-11

Top 20 U.S. Passenger Airports

(Thousands of enplaned passengers on large certifi cated air carriers)

Airport Rank

Total

enplaned

passengers Rank

Total

enplaned

passengers

%

change

1995–2005

Atlanta, GA 2 27,561 1 41,659 51

Chicago (O’Hare), IL 1 29,886 2 34,514 15

Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX 3 25,992 3 27,782 7

Los Angeles, CA 4 21,074 4 22,966 9

Las Vegas, NV 10 12,665 5 20,690 63

Denver, CO 6 14,330 6 20,261 41

Phoenix, AZ 7 13,559 7 20,078 48

Houston (Bush), TX 14 10,952 8 18,250 67

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN 13 11,850 9 17,887 51

Detroit, MI 8 13,294 10 17,380 31

Orlando, FL 21 9,197 11 15,536 69

Newark, NJ 12 11,906 12 14,878 25

New York (JFK), NY 19 9,285 13 14,456 56

Philadelphia, PA 24 8,023 14 14,411 80

Seattle, WA 15 10,731 15 13,964 30

San Francisco, CA 5 15,014 16 13,830 –8

Charlotte, NC 18 9,589 17 13,279 38

Miami, FL 11 12,036 18 12,192 1

New York

 (La Guardia), NY 17 9,682 19 12,119 25

Boston, MA 16 10,513 20 11,707 11

Top 20 airports 287,140 377,841 32

 All airports 526,546 690,257 31

Note: Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Schedule T-3 data, special 

tabulation, November 2006.

 1995 2005
 Mobility 27

4-12

Major U.S. Airports’ On-Time Arrival Performance

Airport

On-Time

rank %

On-Time

rank %

Salt Lake City, UT 3 82.2 1 83.5

Cincinnati, OH 16 79.9 2 82.7

Denver, CO 1 83.1 3 82.5

Chicago (Midway), IL 18 79.3 4 82.3

Houston (Bush), TX 8 81.0 5 81.5

Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX 7 81.2 6 81.3

Phoenix, AZ 15 80.0 7 81.1

St. Louis, MO 12 80.6 8 80.6

Baltimore, MD 9 80.8 9 80.2

Los Angeles, CA 4 81.7 10 80.1

Charlotte, NC 2 83.1 11 79.9

Oakland, CA 6 81.3 12 79.5

San Diego, CA 14 80.1 13 79.2

Washington (Dulles), DC 20 78.4 14 79.1

Washington 

(Reagan National), DC 10 80.7 15 78.7

Pittsburgh, PA 11 80.6 16 78.5

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN 13 80.5 17 78.2

Detroit, MI 5 81.4 18 78.1

Las Vegas, NV 25 77.7 19 77.8

Portland, OR 17 79.4 20 77.6

Orlando, FL 21 78.0 21 77.5

Tampa, FL 19 79.3 22 77.0

San Francisco, CA 26 76.9 23 75.1

Chicago (O’Hare), IL 33 70.1 24 74.9

Seattle, WA 24 77.8 25 74.5

Miami, FL 23 77.8 26 74.0

Boston, MA 22 77.9 27 72.5

Atlanta, GA 31 72.9 28 71.9

Philadelphia, PA 29 73.5 29 71.8

Fort Lauderdale, FL 28 75.6 30 71.1

New York (JFK), NY 27 76.1 31 70.3

New York (LaGuardia), NY 30 73.3 32 66.7

Newark, NJ 32 71.2 33 64.1

Note: On-time fl ights arrive within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival time.

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline On-Time Data, www.

bts.gov.

 2004 2005
28 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-13

Roadway Delay and Congestion Cost per 

Peak Travelera

 in Urban Areas: Annual Roadway 

Delay per Peak Traveler

(Hours per year)

1993

delay per

peak 

traveler

2003

delay per

peak 

traveler

Percentage

change

1993–2003

Annual

growth 

rate

1993–2003

Very large areas 55 61 11 1.0

Large areas 28 37 32 2.8

Medium areas 15 25 67 5.2

Small areas 9 13 44 3.7

85-area average 40 47 18 1.6

1993

cost per

peak 

traveler

2003

cost per

peak 

traveler

Percentage

change

1993–2003

Annual

growth 

rate

1993–2003

Very large areas 719 1,038 44 3.7

Large areas 374 620 66 5.2

Medium areas 199 418 110 7.7

Small areas 118 222 88 6.5

85-area average 523 794 52 4.3

a

 A peak traveler is estimated to travel from 6:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. 

to 7:00 p.m.

Key: 

Very large = over 3 million population (e.g., New York-Northern New Jersey). 

Large = 1 million–3 million population (e.g., Atlanta). 

Medium = selected areas with 500,000–1 million population (e.g., Memphis). 

Small = selected areas under 500,000 population (e.g., Colorado Springs).

Note: See Glossary for defi nitions of delay and congestion cost.

Source: Texas Transportation Institute, 2005 Urban Mobility Report, “Base 

Statistics for the 85 Urban Areas” spreadsheet, available at http://mobility.tamu.

edu/ums/congestion_data/tables/complete_data.xls, as of September 2005.

 Annual Roadway Delay per Peak Traveler

(Hours per year)

 Annual Roadway Congestion Cost per Peak Traveler

(Current dollars)
 Mobility 29

4-14

Amtrak On-Time Performance Trends

and Hours of Delay by Cause

On-time performance

Total (weighted) 73.9% 70.7% 69.8% 67.8%

Short distance 

 (<400 miles)a 77.7% 75.2% 73.6% 72.8%

Long distance

 (>400 miles) 50.3% 40.7% 42.1% 29.9%

Hours of delay

by cause 

Amtrakb 25,711 28,328 25,549 23,967

Host railroadc 57,346 61,256 64,097 71,388

Otherd 5,355 5,577 5,613 6,166

 Totale 88,413 95,162 95,260 101,522

a

 Includes all Amtrak Northeast Corridor and Empire Service (New York State) 

trains. b

 Includes all delays when operating on Amtrak-owned tracks and 

delays for equipment or engine failure, passenger handling, holding for 

connections, train servicing, and mail/baggage handling when on tracks of 

a host railroad. c

 Includes all operating delays not attributable to Amtrak 

when operating on tracks of a host railroad (e.g., track- and signal-related 

delays, power failures, freight and commuter train interference, routing 

delays). d

 Includes delays not attributable to Amtrak or host railroads 

(e.g., customs and immigration, law enforcement action, weather, or waiting 

for scheduled departure time). e

 Numbers may not add to totals due to 

rounding.

Notes: All percentages are based on Amtrak’s fi scal year (Oct. 1–Sept. 30). Host 

railroad is a freight or commuter railroad over which many Amtrak trains 

operate for all or part of their trips.

Amtrak trips are considered delayed based on the following chart:

The ranges of short and long distance operating miles are changed in this 

report. Short distance equals <=400 miles, and long distance equals > 400 

miles

Trip length 

(miles)

Arrival time

delay (minutes)

0–250

251–350

351–450

451–550

> 551

10

15

20

25

30

Source: Amtrak, personal communication, November 2006.

 2003 2004 2005 2006
30 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-15

Top 20 U.S. Water Ports by Shipment Weight & 

Top 20 U.S. Water Ports by Container TEUs: 2004

South Louisiana, LA 224.2 Long Beach, CA 5,185

Houston, TX 202.1 Los Angeles, CA 3,901

New York, NY and NJ 152.4 New York, NY and NJ 3,409

Beaumont, TX 91.7 Tacoma, WA 1,626

Long Beach, CA 79.7 Oakland, CA 1,510

Corpus Christi, TX 78.9 Charleston, SC 1,423

New Orleans, LA 78.1 Savannah, GA 1,309

Huntington-Tristate, 

 WV-OH-PA 77.3 Norfolk Harbor, VA 1,308

Texas City, TX 68.3 Houston, TX 1,236

Baton Rouge, LA 57.1 Seattle, WA 1,199

Mobile, AL 56.2 Honolulu, HI 1,150

Lake Charles, LA 54.7 Miami, FL 818

Plaquemines, LA 54.4 Jacksonville, FL 749

Los Angeles, CA 51.4 Anchorage, AK 604

Tampa, FL 48.3 Port Everglades, FL 502

Baltimore, MD 47.4 Baltimore, MD 444

Valdez, AK 46.8 New Orleans, LA 275

Duluth-Superior, 

 MN and WI 45.4 Portland, OR 229

Pittsburgh, PA 41.0 Gulfport, MS 184

Philadelphia, PA 35.2 Wilmington, DE 150

Total, top 20 1,591 27,211

Total, all ports 2,552 29,927

Note: Includes exports, imports, and domestic shipments. See table 5-8 for

top 20 freight gateways by value of shipments. 

TEUs = 20-foot equivalent units. One 20-foot container equals one TEU.

Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Commerce of the United 

States, Calendar Year 2004, Part 5, National Summaries, table 5-2, available at 

http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/wcsc.htm, as of April 2006. U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Container Traffi c for U.S. Ports and all 50 

States and U.S. Territories, Port TEUs, available at http://www.iwr.usace.army.

mil/ndc/wcsc/wcsc.htm, as of July 2006.

 Port by Short tons Port by Full TEUs

shipment weight (millions) container TEUs (thousands)
 Mobility 31

4-16

Top 20 World Container Ports: 2000 and 2004

(Thousands of full and empty TEUs)

1 1 Hong Kong China 21,984

2 2 Singapore Singapore 21,329

6 3 Shanghai China 14,557

23 4 Shenzhen China 13,615

3 5 Busan South Korea 11,430

4 6 Kaohsiung Taiwan 9,714

5 7 Rotterdam Netherlands 8,281

7 8 Los Angeles United States 7,321

9 9 Hamburg Germany 7,003

13 10 Dubai

United Arab 

 Emirates 6,429

10 11 Antwerp Belgium 6,064

8 12 Long Beach United States 5,780

12 13 Port Kalang Malaysia 5,244

24 14 Quingdao China 5,140

14 15

New York/

 New Jersey United States 4,478

108 16 Tanjung Pelepas Malaysia 4,020

** 17 Ningbo China 4,006

31 18 Tianjin China 3,814

11 19 Tanjug Priok Indonesia 3,597

25 20 Laem Chabang Thailand 3,529

** Ningbo was unranked among the world’s major ports in 2000. In that year, 

it handled only 902,000 TEUs (www.nbport.com.cn).

Note: TEUs = 20-foot equivalent units. One 20-foot container equals one 

TEU. 

Source: 2004—American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), World 

Port Rankings:2004 (Container Traffi c), available at 

http://www.aapa-ports.org/, as of September 2006.

2000—Data obtained through personal communication with AAPA, 

October 2006.

 Rank Rank 

(2000) (2004) Port Country TEUs
32 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Transportation is a major sector of the U.S. economy. 

It moves people and goods, employs millions of 

workers, generates revenue, and consumes resources 

and services produced by other sectors of the economy. 

In 2005, transportation-related goods and service contributed $1.3 trillion to the $12.5 trillion U.S. Gross 

Domestic Product. 

5 Economy

5-1 

U.S. Gross Domestic Product by 

Major Societal Function: 2005

Housing

(25.9%)

Health care

 (17%)

 Food

(11.6%)

Transportation-

 relateda

 (10.6%)

Education

 (7.5%)

Recreation

 (7.0%)

 Otherb

(20.4%)

a

 Includes all consumer and government purchases of goods (e.g., vehicles 

and fuel) and services (e.g., auto insurance) and exports related to transportation. b

 Includes all other categories (e.g., entertainment, personal 

care products and services, and payments to pension plans).

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, calculated from data in U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of 

Economic Analysis, Survey of Current Business, October 2006.
Economy 33

5-2

Average Household Expenditures by

Major Spending Category: 2005

(Current dollars)

Apparel and 

services 

(4%) Othera

(16%) Personal 

insurance 

and pensions 

(11%) 

Health 

care 

(6%) 

Housing

(33%)

Food 

(13%) 

Transportation

(18%) 

$8,344 

 Private vehicle expenditures = $7,896

 Vehicle purchases = $3,554

 Gasoline and motor oil = $2,013

 Other vehicle expenditures = $2,339

 Public transportation 

 expenditures = $448

 Airline fares = $285

 Mass transit fares = $52

 Ship fares = $42

 Taxi fares = $24

 Intercity train fares = $19

 Intercity bus fares = $12

 Local transportation on 

 out-of-town trips = $11

 School bus = $3

a

 Includes entertainment, personal care products and services, education, 

tobacco products and smoking, and miscellaneous.

Note: Numbers do not add to totals due to rounding.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer 

Expenditure Survey, 2005; and personal communication, November 2006.
34 Pocket Guide to Transportation

5-3

Transportation Services Index (TSI)

(Seasonally adjusted)

60

80

100

120

Chained-type index: 

2000 = 100

1990 2000 2005 1995

TSI passenger

TSI freight

TSI total

Note: The TSI total is a single index measure of monthly output of for-hire 

transportation services in the United States using 2000 as the base year. 

Source: Compiled by U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), special calculation, avaliable at 

http://www.bts.gov/xml/tsi/src/index.xml, as of December 2006. 
Economy 35

5-4

Employment in Transportation and Selected

Transportation-Related Industriesa

(Thousands)

Total U.S. labor force 

 (Nonfarm) 109,487 117,298 131,785 133,463 

Total transportation related 

 labor forceb 12,084 12,450 13,679 U 

Transportation as a percent 

 of total U.S. labor force 11 11 10 U

For-hire transport & 

 warehousing 3,476 3,838 4,410 4,347 

 Air 529 511 614 501

 Water 57 51 56 61

 Railroad 272 233 232 228

 Transit/ground

 passenger transportation 274 328 372 389

 Pipeline 60 54 46 38

 Trucking 1,122 1,249 1,406 1,393

 Support activities 364 430 537 551

 Scenic/sightseeing 

 transportation 16 22 28 30

 Couriers/messengers 375 517 605 572

 Warehousing/storage 407 444 514 585

Related services & 

 construction 5,256 5,577 6,177 U

Automotive repair services/

 parking; automotive equipment

 rental/leasing; gasoline stations 1,800 1,906 2,125 2,062

Highway, street, bridge 

 construction 289 278 340 352

Dealers or wholesalers of motor

 vehicles, parts, petroleum, 

 supplies, equipment 1,993 2,119 2,360 2,396

Travel arrangement/

 reservation services 250 281 299 224

Ambulatory health care services 99 143 173 207

Postal service 825 850 880 U

Transportation-related 

 manufacturingb 2,681 2,390 2,446 2,139

Governmentc 673 644 646 602

a Annual averages. Data are NAICS-based. (See Glossary for defi nition.) b

 Fiscal year data. Includes U.S. DOT and state and local highway 

personnel. c

 Includes transportation equipment; petroleum products; 

tires; rubber; plastics; search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical, 

and nautical systems; and instrument manufacturing. 

Key: U = Unavailable

Source: Various sources as cited in USDOT, RITA, BTS, National Transportation Statistics, table 3-19b, available at http://www.bts.gov, as of Oct. 2006.

 1990 1995 2000 2005
36 Pocket Guide to Transportation

5-5

Value of U.S.–International Merchandise Trade by 

Mode of Transportation: 2005

(Millions of current U.S. dollars)

Total 904,380 100.0 1,670,940 100.0 2,575,320 100.0

Water 261,519 28.9 859,440 51.4 1,120,959 43.5

Air 292,970 32.4 359,120 21.5 652,091 25.3

Truck 234,563 25.9 255,963 15.3 490,526 19.0

Rail 35,070 3.9 81,388 4.9 116,458 4.5

Pipeline 2,937 0.3 48,766 2.9 51,704 2.0

Other, 

unknown, & 

miscellaneous 77,321 8.5 66,262 4.0 143,583 5.6

Notes: Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding.

Water—Excludes intransit data (merchandise shipped from one foreign country to another via a U.S. water port).

Imports—Excludes imports valued at less than $1,250. Import value is based 

on U.S. general imports, customs value basis.

Exports—Excludes exports valued at less than $2,500. Export value is FAS 

(free alongside ship) and represents the value of exports at the port of 

export, including the transaction price and inland freight, insurance, and 

other charges.

Sources: Compiled by U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), 

Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics (BTS), September 2006. Water and air data—U.S. 

Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division, U.S. 

Exports of Merchandise, CD-ROM and U.S. Imports of Merchandise, CD-ROM, 

December 2005. Total, truck, rail, pipeline, other and unknown data—

USDOT, RITA, BTS, Transborder Freight Data 2005; and special calculation, 

September 2006.

 Modal Modal Total Total

 Exports % Imports % trade modal %
Economy 37

5-6

Weight of U.S.–International Merchandise Trade 

by Mode of Transportation: 2005

(Thousands of short tons)

Total 539,201 100.0 1,377,533 100.0 1,916,734 100.0

Water a 389,796 72.3 1,096,982 79.6 1,486,778 77.6

Air 3,031 0.6 4,378 0.3 7,409 0.4

Truckb 88,865 16.5 101,932 7.4 190,797 10.0

Railb 47,513 8.8 93,453 6.8 140,966 7.4

Pipelineb 4,858 0.9 80,746 5.9 85,604 4.5

Other, 

unknown, & 

miscellaneousb 5,137 1.0 42 0.0 5,179 0.3

a

 The weight data for water transportation vary from those offi cially 

reported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers because the data in 

this table exclude intransit shipments (merchandise shipped from one 

foreign country to another via a U.S. port but not part of U.S. offi cial 

merchandise trade). BTS uses Census Bureau trade-based data to 

allow for a complete modal comparison among the different freight 

transportation modes. b

 BTS estimated the export weight for truck, 

rail, pipeline, and other and unknown based on value-to-weight ratios 

from the import data by country, mode of transportation, and two 

digit HS commodity code. This was necessary, because export weights 

for surface modes are not currently reported. Weight for water and 

air exports and imports are from U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. 

Census Bureau.

Notes: Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding.

Water—Excludes intransit data (merchandise shipped from one foreign 

country to another via a U.S. water port).

Imports—Excludes imports valued at less than $1,250. Import value is 

based on U.S. general imports, customs value basis.

Exports—Excludes exports valued at less than $2,500. Export value is FAS 

(free alongside ship) and represents the value of exports at the port of 

export, including the transaction price and inland freight, insurance, and 

other charges.

Sources: Compiled by U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), 

Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), Bureau 

of Transportation Statistics (BTS), September 2006. Water and air 

data—U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign 

Trade Division, U.S. Exports of Merchandise, CD-ROM and U.S. Imports of 

Merchandise, CD-ROM, December 2005. Total, truck, rail, pipeline, other 

and unknown data—USDOT, RITA, BTS, Transborder Freight Data 2005; 

and special calculation, September 2006.

 Modal Modal Total Total

 Exports % Imports % trade modal %
38 Pocket Guide to Transportation

5-7

U.S. Merchandise Trade with Canada and 

Mexico by Mode Share: 2005

NAFTA trade, total 100.0 100.0

Trucka 62.1 28.1

Raila 14.8 20.8

Pipelinea 6.5 12.6

Air 4.2 0.1

Water 7.4 37.7

Other and unknowna 5.0 0.8

U.S.-NAFTA imports, total 100.0 100.0

Truck 55.9 21.8

Rail 17.8 20.0

Pipeline 10.6 17.3

Air 2.7 0.0

Water 9.8 40.4

Other and unknown 3.2 0.0

U.S.-NAFTA exports, total 100.0 100.0

Trucka 70.8 42.1

Raila 10.6 22.5

Pipelinea 0.9 2.3

Air 6.2 0.1

Water 4.1 30.5

Other and unknowna 7.4 2.4 a

 BTS estimated the export weight for truck, rail, pipeline, and other and 

unknown based on value-to-weight ratios from the import data, 

because export weights for surface modes are not currently reported. 

Weight for water and air exports and imports are from the U.S. 

Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau.

Notes: Value based on millions of U.S. dollars; weight based on millions of 

short tons. Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.

U.S. NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) refers to U.S. trade 

with Canada and Mexico, our partners in this agreement.

Sources: Value—U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), 

Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics (BTS), Transborder Freight Data, available at 

http://www.bts.gov/itt/, as of September 2006. Weight—USDOT, RITA, 

BTS, North American Freight Transportation Statistics (Washington, DC: 

2006).

 Value Weight

 Mode (percent) (percent)
Economy 39

5-8

Top 20 U.S. Foreign Trade Freight Gateways 

by Value of Shipments: 2005

(Billions of current dollars)

1

John F. Kennedy 

 International, NY (a) 59.3 75.6 134.9

2 Los Angeles, CA (w)P 18.4 116.0 134.3

3 Detroit, MI (l) 68.8 61.7 130.5

4 New York, NY and NJ (w)P 26.2 104.2 130.4

5 Long Beach, CA (w)P 21.2 103.4 124.6

6 Laredo, TX (l) 40.9 52.8 93.7

7 Houston, TX (w)P 33.8 52.3 86.1

8 Chicago, IL (a) 29.1 44.3 73.4

9 Los Angeles Intl., CA (a) 36.5 36.4 72.9

10 Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY (l) 32.5 38.0 70.5

11 Port Huron, MI (l) 23.6 44.6 68.2

12 San Francisco Intl., CA (a) 25.2 32.0 57.2

13 Charleston, SC (w)P 15.9 36.5 52.4

14 El Paso, TX (l) 18.9 24.1 43.0

15 Norfolk, VA (w)P 15.0 24.5 33.9

16 Baltimore, MD (w)P 8.6 27.0 35.6

17 Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (a) 15.4 19.7 35.1

18 Seattle, WA (w)P 7.7 27.3 35.0

19 Anchorage, AK (a) 8.7 26.0 34.7

20 Tacoma, WA (w)P 5.0 28.7 33.8

Key: a = airport; l = land port; w = water port; P = preliminary.

Notes: Trade excludes imports of less than $1,250 and exports of less than 

$2,500. Air: Includes a low level (generally less than 2%–3% of the total 

value) of small user-fee airports located in the same region. Air gateways 

not identifi ed by airport name (e.g., Chicago, IL) include major airport(s) 

in that area and small regional airports. Due to Census Bureau confi dentiality regulations, courier operations are included in airport totals for only 

JFK, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Anchorage. Numbers may not add to totals 

due to rounding.

Sources: Air—U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign 

Trade Division, special tabulation, October 2006. Water—U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers, Navigation Data Center, special tabulation, November 2006. 

Land—U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Transborder 

Freight Data, October 2006.

 Rank Gateway Exports Imports Total
40 Pocket Guide to Transportation

5-9

U.S. Trade in Transportation-Related 

Commodities: 2005

(Millions of current U.S. dollars)

Motor vehicles and 

 parts (87) 83,161 199,806 282,967 –116,645

Aircraft, spacecraft, 

 and parts (88) 49,823 16,486 66,309 33,337

Ships, boats, and 

 fl oating structures (89) 1,994 1,713 3,707 281

Railway or tramway 

 locomotives and 

 parts (86) 2,236 1,517 3,753 719

Total, 

 transportation 

 commodities 137,214 219,522 356,736 –82,308

Total, all commodities 904,380 1,670,940 2,575,320 –766,560

Transportation 

 commodities

 share of trade 15.2% 13.1% 13.9% 10.7%

Notes: The numbers in parentheses are the classifi cation categories from 

the Harmonized Schedule of Commodity Codes.

Classifi cation category (87) also includes bicycles, wheelchairs, and baby 

carriages.

Total trade = exports plus imports. Balance = exports minus imports.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics; based on 

data from U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. International Trade Commission, Interactive Tariff and Trade DataWeb, available at http://dataweb.

usitc.gov, as of September 2006.

 Commodity Total 

 and code Exports Imports trade Balance
Economy 41

5-10

New Passenger Car and Light Truck Sales:

Model Years 1985–2006

0

Millions of vehicles

1985 1990 1995 2000 2006

Cars

Light trucks

2

4

6

8

10

12

Note: Data are based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defi nitions of light trucks (gross vehicle weight of 8,500 pounds or less). 

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Light-Duty Automotive 

Technology and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2006, Table 1, available 

at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fetrends.htm, as of July 2006.
42 Pocket Guide to Transportation

5-11

Government Transportation Revenues by Mode

and Level of Government

(Millions of current dollars)

Highway total 25,268 49,945 87,800 U

Federal: 

 Highway Trust Fund—

 Highway Account a 7,647 13,453 30,347 28,964

State 16,287 32,644 51,073 U

Local 1,334 3,848 6,380 U

Transit total 2,397 7,193 12,674 U

Federal: 

 Highway Trust Fund—

 Mass Transit Account – 1,977 4,625 4,762

State 362 1,074 1,524 U

Local 2,035 4,142 6,525 U

Air total 4,100 10,119 21,627 U

Federal: Airport and 

 Airway Trust Fund 2,274 4,945 10,544 10,088

State 190 556 852 U

Local 1,636 4,617 10,231 U

Water total 1,211 2,487 3,717 U

Federal: water receiptsb 391 999 1,210 944

State 249 355 693 U

Local 572 1,133 1,813 U

Pipelinec – 10 40 57

General supportd – – 25 9

Total, all modes 32,977 69,753 125,882 U

 Federal 10,312 21,384 46,791 44,824

 State 17,088 34,629 54,142 U

 Local 5,577 13,740 24,949 U

a

 Since 1983, some Highway Trust Fund fuel tax has gone to transit. 

b

 Includes Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, St. Lawrence Seaway tolls, Inland 

Waterway Trust Fund, Panama Canal receipts through 2000, Oil Spill 

Liability Trust Fund, Offshore Oil Pollution Fund, Deep Water Port 

Liability Fund, and excise taxes of the Boat Safety Program. c

 Includes 

federal only: Pipeline Safety Fund. d

 Includes federal only: Emergency 

Preparedness Fund.

Key: – = no activity or a value of zero. 

Note: Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding. 

Sources: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transpor tation Statistics, Government Transportation Financial Statistics 2003, available at http://www.bts.

gov/government_transportation_fi nancial_statistics/index.html, as of 

October 2006.

 1980 1990 2000 2003
Economy 43

5-12

Government Transportation Expenditures by 

Mode and Level of Government From Own Funds

(Millions of current dollars)

Highway total 34,553 62,629 103,952 U

Federal 11,706 15,517 27,759 32,633

State and local 22,847 47,112 76,192 U

Transit total 8,915 19,251 32,384 U

Federal 3,307 3,832 5,334 4,922

State and local 5,608 15,420 27,050 U

Rail total 2,419 540 767 U

Federal 2,395 534 760 1,206

State and local 23 6 7 U

Air total 5,673 12,568 22,017 U

Federal 3,762 7,305 10,481 14,153

State and local 1,911 5,263 11,536 U

Water total 4,475 5,480 7,946 U

Federal 3,308 3,537 4,814 5,475

State and local 1,167 1,943 3,132 U

Pipeline totala – 26 36 U

Federal – 9 36 57

State and local – 17 U U

General supportb 183 191 259 8,585

Total, all modes 56,217 100,685 167,360 U

 Federal 24,661 30,924 49,443 67,031

 State and local 31,556 69,760 117,916 U

a

 Includes gas and liquid pipeline. b Includes federal only: administrative and 

operating expenditures of the Offi ce of the Secretary of Transportation 

(excluding outlays for Payments to Air Carriers and Commission on Aircraft Safety programs included under “Air” above), the Interstate Commerce Commission (1995 and prior), Offi ce of the Inspector General, 

the Research and Special Programs Administration (excluding outlays for 

the Pipeline Safety program included in “Pipeline” above), the National 

Transportation Safety Board, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, and 

the Surface Transportation Board.

Key: – = no activity or a value of zero; U = unavailable.

Notes: Expenditures are from “own funds” for specifi ed level of government. 

Federal includes direct spending and grants to states and localities. State 

and local includes outlays from all sources except federal grants. Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding. Only federal government 

expenditures are included for 2003.

Sources: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transpor tation Statistics, Government Transportation Financial Statistics 2003, available at http://www.bts.

gov/government_transportation_fi nancial_statistics/index.html, as of 

October 2006.

 1980 1990 2000 2003
44 Pocket Guide to Transportation

While transportation enhances the quality of our lives, 

it also generates environmental impacts that can lead 

to human health problems and ecological damage. Overall, 

most transportation air emissions, such as particulates, have 

declined since 1980 despite signifi cant inreases in U.S. population, Gross Domestic Product, and vehicle-miles traveled. 

Only ammonia among criteria pollutants remains above its 

1990 level. However, carbon dioxide emissions from transportation fuel use have risen. 

6 Environment

6-1

New Passenger Car and Light Truck Fuel Economy

Averages: Model Years 1985–2006

30

35

25

20

15

10

5

0

Miles per gallon

1985 1990 1995 2000 2006

Light trucks

Cars

Notes: 2005 data are revised from the previous edition. 2006 data are 

preliminary.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Light-Duty Automotive 

Technology and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2006, Table 1, available at: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fetrends.htm, as of July 2006.
Environment 45

6-2

U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions from 

Energy Use: 1985–2005

Commercial

Residential

Transportation

Industrial

150

250

350

450

550

Million metric tons of carbon

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Notes: 2005 data are preliminary.

One ton of carbon equals 3.667 tons of carbon dioxide gas. Electric utility 

emissions are distributed across sectors.

Sources: 1985–1989—U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE), Energy 

Information Administration (EIA), Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the 

United States, Appendix E, available at http://www.eia.doe.gov, as of 

December 2005. 1990–2004—USDOE, EIA, U.S. Carbon Dioxide from 

Energy Sources 2005 Flash Estimate, available at http://www.eia.doe.

gov/, as of June 2006.
46 Pocket Guide to Transportation

6-3

Wetlands Impacted and Mitigated 

Under the Federal-Aid Highway Program

Acres impacted 2,041 1,905 1,942 1,278 847 1,139

Acres mitigated 7,671 4,017 5,198 3,431 1,763 3,741

Acres gained (net) 5,630 2,112 3,256 2,153 916 2,292

Mitigation ratio 3.8:1 2.1:1 2.7:1 2.7:1 2.1:1 3.3:1

Notes: These data cover wetlands acreage affected by Federal-Aid Highway 

projects, approximately 24% of the total mileage of the U.S. public roads. 

These data are collected by states using varying collection methodologies. The mitigation ratio equals acres mitigated to acres impacted.

Source: 2000-2004—U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Highway Administration Wetland Mitigation Performance Measure for Federal-Aid Highway 

Projects Fiscal Year 2004, available at http://fhwa.dot.gov/environment/

perform/wetrpt04.htm. 

2005—USDOT, FHWA, personal communication, September 2006.

 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Environment 47

6-4

Index of Key Air Pollutant Emissions from 

U.S. Transportation: 1990–2003

Index: 1990 = 1.0

Key: PM-10 and PM-2.5 = airborne particulates of less than 10 microns or 

2.5 microns, respectively.

Notes: Data in the previous edition include all onroad mobile sources and 

some nonroad mobile sources. EPA revised the emissions estimation 

methodology for onroad mobile sources. EPA discontinued lead emissions estimates in 2001.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Offi ce of Air Quality 

Planning and Standards, Air Emissions Trend, available at http://www.epa.

gov/airtrends/2005/econ-emissions.html.

1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

1990 1995 2000 2003

Carbon monoxide

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1990 1995 2000 2003

Nitrogen oxides

1990 1995 2000 2003

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

Volatile organic compounds

PM-10 PM-2.5

1990 1995 2000 2003 0.4

0.6

0.8

1.2

1.0

PM-10; PM-2.5

1990 1995 2000 2003

Sulfur Dioxide

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1990 1995 2000 2003

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

Ammonia
48 Pocket Guide to Transportation

 Glossary

Air carrier—Certifi cated provider of scheduled and nonscheduled services.

Chained dollars—A method to measure real changes in dollar 

values between years that uses chain-type indexes, rather than 

constant dollars. The method fi rst calculates the real changes 

between adjacent years. Annual rates of real changes are then 

chained (multiplied) together to obtain the rate of real changes 

between nonadjacent years. 

Class I railroad—A freight railroad with an annual gross operating revenue indexed to a base of $250 million in 1991 dollars. 

In 2004, the adjusted base had increased to $289.5 million.

Commercial waterway facilities—Waterway facilities as 

counted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are piers, 

wharves, and docks. Not included are those facilities used 

exclusively for recreational or active military craft and generally those providing nonmaritime use.

Commuter rail—Urban/suburban passenger train service for 

short-distance travel between a central city and adjacent suburbs run on tracks of a traditional railroad system. Does not 

include heavy- or light-rail transit service.

Congestion cost—Value of travel time delay (estimated at 

$13.45 per hour of person travel and $71.05 per hour of truck 

travel) and excess fuel consumption (estimated using the average cost per gallon by state).

Contracted service (purchased transportation)—

Transportation service provided to a public transit agency or 

governmental unit from a public or private transportation provider based on a written contract. 

Delay—The extra travel time (hours) spent traveling at congested 

speeds rather than free-fl ow speeds (60 mph on freeways and 

35 mph on principal arterials) divided by the number of persons making a trip during the peak period (6:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m. 

and 3:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.).

Demand-response transit—A nonfi xed-route, nonfi xedschedule form of transportation that operates in response to 

calls from passengers or their agents to the transit operator 

or dispatcher.

Directional route-miles—The sum of the mileage in each 

direction over which transit vehicles travel while in revenue 

service.

Directly operated service—Transportation service provided 

directly by a transit agency, using their employees to supply the 

necessary labor to operate the revenue vehicles. 
Glossary 49

Draft—The depth of water a vessel draws, loaded or unloaded.

General aviation—Civil aviation operations other than those 

air carriers holding a Certifi cate of Public Convenience and 

Necessity. Types of aircraft used in general aviation range from 

corporate, multi-engine jets piloted by a professional crew to 

amateur-built, single-engine, piston-driven, acrobatic planes.

Gross Domestic Product—The total value of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United 

States. As long as the labor and property are located in the 

United States, the suppliers may be either U.S. residents or 

residents of foreign countries.

Heavy-rail transit––High-speed transit rail operated on rightsof-way that exclude all other vehicles and pedestrians.

Hub area—As used here, a geographic area based on the percentage of total enplaned passengers in that area. A hub area 

can comprise more than one airport and falls into one of the 

following classes: large, a community enplaning 1% or more of 

the total enplaned passengers; medium, 0.25%–0.99%; small, 

0.05%–0.24%; nonhub area, less than 0.05%. The defi nition of 

hub used here should not be confused with airline usage of the 

term to describe “hub-and-spoke” route structures or other 

defi nitions of hubs used by the Federal Aviation Administration, 

which focus on traffi c at individual airports.

Intermodal—Transportation activities involving more than one 

mode of transportation, including transportation connections, 

choices, cooperation, and coordination of various modes.

Large certifi cated air carrier—Carriers operating aircraft with 

a maximum passenger capacity of more than 60 seats or a 

maximum payload of more than 18,000 pounds. These carriers 

are also grouped by annual operating revenues: 1) majors—

more than $1 billion; 2) nationals—between $100 million 

and $1 billion; 3) large regionals—between $20 million and 

$99,999,999; and 4) medium regionals—less than $20 million.

Long-distance travel—As defi ned in the Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics National Household Travel Survey, 

long-distance trips are trips of 50 miles or more from home 

to the farthest destination traveled and include the return 

component as well as any overnight stops and stops to change 

transportation mode.

Light-rail transit––Urban transit rail operated on a reserved 

right-of-way that may be crossed by roads used by motor 

vehicles and pedestrians.
50 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Light truck—Trucks of 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight 

rating or less, including pickup trucks, vans, truck-based station 

wagons, and sport utility vehicles.

Metric ton—A unit of weight equal to 2,204.6 pounds.

North American Industry Classifi cation System 

(NAICS)—NAICS (established in April 1997) replaces the 

Standard Industrial Classifi cation (SIC) and groups producing 

and nonproducing economic activities into 20 sectors and 

1,170 industries in the United States version. It was developed 

to provide common industry defi nitions for Canada, Mexico, 

and the United States to facilitate analyses of the economies of 

the three countries.

Nonself-propelled vessels—Includes dry cargo, tank barges, and 

railroad car fl oats that operate in U.S. ports and waterways.

Particulates—Carbon particles formed by partial oxidation and 

reduction of hydrocarbon fuel. Also included are trace quantities of metal oxides and nitrides, originating from engine wear, 

component degradation, and inorganic fuel additives. 

Passenger-mile—One passenger transported one mile. For 

example, one vehicle traveling 3 miles carrying 5 passengers 

generates 15 passenger-miles. 

Self-propelled vessels—Includes dry cargo vessels, tankers, and 

offshore supply vessels, tugboats, pushboats, and passenger 

vessels, such as excursion/sightseeing boats, combination passenger and dry cargo vessels, and ferries.

Short-ton—A unit of weight equal to 2,000 pounds.

Standard Industrial Classifi cation (SIC)—SIC (fi rst used 

in 1937) groups establishments by primary activity to ease 

data collection, tabulation, presentation, and analysis. SIC was 

intended to promote greater uniformity and comparability in 

data presentations by government, industry, and research institutions. SIC classifi es industries by composition and structure 

of the economy.

Ton-miles—A unit of measure equal to the movement of one 

ton over one mile.

Truck: 

Single unit—A large truck on a single frame with at least 2 

axles and 6 tires. Excludes “other 2-axle, 4-tire vehicles” noted 

above.

Combination—A power unit (truck or truck tractor) and 

one or more trailing units.

Vehicle-mile—One vehicle traveling one mile.
Statistics published in this Pocket Guide to Transportation

come from many different sources. Some statistics are 

based on samples and are subject to sampling variability. 

Statistics may also be subject to omissions and errors in 

reporting, recording, and processing.

Photo Credits

Front cover

Ship in Baltimore Harbor

Dennis Roos, Sr.

Back cover

Passenger train

National Railroad Passenger 

Corporation (Amtrak)
 U.S. Department of Transportation