In reviewing cargo records over the years, it becomes obvious that each time technology permitted bigger ships, the Lakes Jones Act fleet seized the opportunity to better serve its customers. An analysis of record cargos for the three major commodities, iron ore, coal and stone, shows that since 1940, the benchmark cargo has increased by as much as 328 percent. Today's record cargos are discharged in less than 8 hours without any assistance from shoreside personnel or equipment. It would have taken days to unload 71,000 tons of coal from the straight-decker vessels which once ruled the Great Lakes. Ryan further noted that the current record cargos for the iron ore and coal trades represent in one trip more cargo than a ship could carry in a whole season a century ago.
Few industries can boast of such dramatic increases in efficiency.