BTS | Table 1-2: Number of Air Carriers, Railroads, Interstate Motor Carriers, Marine Vessel Operators, and Pipeline Operators

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Table 1-2: Number of Air Carriers, Railroads, Interstate Motor Carriers, Marine Vessel Operators, and Pipeline Operators

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	1960	1965	1970	1975	1980	1985	1990	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Air carriers^a	N	N	39	36	63	102	70	96	96	96	96	94	91	87	83	80	83	82
Major air carriers	N	N	N	N	N	13	14	11	12	13	13	13	15	15	15	14	14	17
Other air carriers	N	N	N	N	N	89	56	85	84	83	83	81	76	72	68	66	69	65
Railroads	607	568	517	477	480	500	530	541	553	550	559	555	560	571	552	549	556	560
Class I railroads	106	76	71	73	39	25	14	11	10	9	9	9	8	8	7	7	7	7
Other railroads	501	492	446	404	441	475	516	530	543	541	550	546	552	563	545	542	549	553
Interstate motor carriers^b	e	e	e	e	U	U	216,000	346,000	379,000	417,000	477,486	517,297	560,393	592,909	600,104	674,314	677,317	679,744
Marine vessel operators^c	U	U	U	U	U	U	U	1,381	1,348	1,311	1,235	1,174	1,114	1,063	877	798	767	733
Pipeline operators^d	N	N	1,123	1,682	2,243	2,204	2,212	(R) 2,387	(R) 2,346	(R) 2,301	(R) 2,260	(R) 2,260	(R) 2,172	(R) 2,128	(R) 2,171	(R) 2,196	2,216	2,166
Hazardous liquid	N	N	N	N	N	^g222	187	209	215	217	225	(R) 237	243	(R) 239	(R) 237	(R) 232	222	235
Natural gas transmission	N	N	420	432	474	724	866	(R) 975	(R) 971	(R) 957	(R) 889	(R) 885	(R) 844	(R) 814	(R) 899	(R) 921	907	929
Natural gas distribution	N	N	938	^f1,500	^f1,932	1,485	1,382	1,444	1,397	(R) 1,365	(R) 1,375	(R) 1,393	(R) 1,363	(R) 1,341	(R) 1,331	(R) 1,309	1,318	1,291

KEY: N = data do not exist; R = revised; U = data are not available.

^aCarrier groups are categorized based on their annual operating revenues as major, national, large regional, and medium regional. The thresholds were last adjusted July 1, 1999, and the threshold for major air carriers is currently $1 billion. The other air carrier category contains all national, large regional, and medium regional air carriers. Beginning in 2003 regional air carriers are not required to report financial data which may result in under reporting of "Other carriers" in this table.

^bFigures are for the fiscal year, October through September. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration deletes motor carriers from the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) when they receive an official notice of a change in status. This most often occurs when a safety audit or compliance review is attempted. As a result, inactive carriers may be included in the MCMIS.

^cThe printed source materials do not contain totals for the number of operators and data files from which the figures can be determined are not available prior to 1993.

^d There is some overlap among the operators for the pipeline modes so the total number of pipeline operators is lower than the sum for the three pipeline modes.

^ePrior to 1980, the source of motor carrier data was the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), which was abolished on Jan. 1, 1996. (Certain functions were transferred to the Surface Transportation Board and the Department of Transportation.) The system used by ICC to collect motor carrier data differs significantly from that used by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in its Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS), which began operations in 1980. The MCMIS is updated weekly, but archive versions are not retained. Because of differences between the two systems, data are not comparable and thus are not included here.

^f Includes master meter and mobile home park natural gas distribution operators. A master meter system is a pipeline system for distributing gas within, but not limited to, a definable area, such as a mobile home park, housing project, or apartment complex, where the operator purchases metered gas from an outside source for resale through a gas distribution pipeline system. The gas distribution pipeline system supplies the ultimate consumer who either purchases the gas directly through a meter or by other means, such as by rents.

^g This value is for 1986. The number of hazardous liquid pipeline operators is not available for prior years.

SOURCES

Air carriers:

1960-2002: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Carrier Financial Statistics Quarterly (Washington, DC: Fourth quarter issues), "Alphabetical List of Air Carriers by Carrier Group ...".

2003: Ibid., personal communication, Oct. 5, 2004.

2004-05: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Carrier Financial Statistics Quarterly (Washington, DC: Fourth quarter issues), "Alphabetical List of Air Carriers by Carrier Group ...".

Railroads:

1960-85: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Ten-Year Trends, Vol. 2 (Washington, DC), table I-2.

1990-98: Ibid., Vol. 16 (Washington, DC: 1999), p. 10.

1999-2005: Ibid., Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: Annual issues), p. 3.

Interstate motor carriers:

1990-2001: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) data, personal communication, Nov. 6, 2001.

2002-03: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Analysis and Information Online, Internet site http://ai.volpe.dot.gov/mcspa.asp as of June 4, 2004 and personal communication, Apr. 18, 2005.

2004-05: Ibid., personal communication, Jan. 18, 2007.

Marine vessel operators:

1995-2005: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Transportation Lines of the United States, Volume 1, National Summaries (New Orleans, LA: Annual issues), table 13.

Pipeline Operators:

U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Pipeline Safety, personal communication, Feb. 7, 2007.