Table 1-35: Average Length of Haul, Domestic Freight and Passenger Modes
(Miles)
| 1960 | 1965 | 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | 1985 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freight | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Air carrier | 953 | 943 | 1,014 | 1,082 | 1,052 | 1,157 | 1,389 | 1,346 | 1,391 | 1,347 | 1,221 | 1,160 | 1,181 | 1,077 | 1,078 | 1,001 | 982 | 973 | 1,204 | 1,216 | 1,261 | 1,218 | 1,218 | 1,220 | 1,247 |
| Trucka | 272 | 259 | 263 | 286 | 363 | 366 | 391 | 398 | 410 | 407 | 392 | 416 | 426 | 435 | 442 | 458 | 473 | 485 | U | U | U | U | U | U | U |
| Class I rail | 461 | 503 | 515 | 541 | 616 | 665 | 726 | 751 | 763 | 794 | 817 | (R) 843 | (R) 842 | (R) 851 | (R) 835 | (R) 835 | (R) 843 | (R) 858 | (R) 853 | (R) 862 | (R) 902 | (R) 893 | 906 | 913 | 919 |
| Coastwise (water) | 1,496 | 1,501 | 1,509 | 1,362 | 1,915 | 1,972 | (R) 1,605 | (R) 1,705 | (R) 1,762 | (R) 1,650 | (R) 1,652 | (R) 1,652 | (R) 1,526 | (R) 1,330 | (R) 1,261 | (R) 1,279 | (R) 1,251 | (R) 1,228 | (R) 1,219 | (R) 1,248 | (R) 1,269 | (R) 1,233 | 1,126 | 1,108 | 1,116 |
| Lakewise (water) | 522 | 494 | 506 | 530 | 536 | 524 | (R) 553 | (R) 535 | (R) 519 | (R) 514 | (R) 508 | (R) 514 | (R) 508 | (R) 507 | (R) 505 | (R) 501 | (R) 506 | (R) 509 | (R) 529 | (R) 529 | (R) 538 | (R) 540 | 548 | 543 | 556 |
| Internal (water) | 282 | 297 | 330 | 358 | 405 | 435 | (R) 470 | (R) 483 | (R) 479 | (R) 467 | (R) 482 | (R) 494 | (R) 477 | (R) 466 | (R) 472 | (R) 488 | (R) 481 | (R) 476 | (R) 483 | (R) 457 | (R) 454 | (R) 440 | 446 | 437 | 443 |
| Intraport (water) | U | U | U | 16 | 17 | 15 | (R) 13 | (R) 13 | (R) 12 | (R) 12 | (R) 16 | (R) 16 | (R) 17 | (R) 15 | (R) 15 | (R) 15 | (R) 16 | (R) 15 | (R) 15 | (R) 15 | (R) 16 | (R) 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
| Crude (oil pipeline) | 325 | 320 | 300 | 633 | 871 | 777 | 812 | 822 | 830 | 790 | 778 | 797 | 779 | 781 | 767 | 766 | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U |
| Petroleum products (oil pipeline) | 269 | 335 | 357 | 516 | 414 | 391 | 387 | 379 | 379 | 406 | 414 | 402 | 413 | 413 | 420 | 418 | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U |
| Passenger | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Air carrier, domestic, scheduled | 583 | 614 | 678 | 698 | 736 | 758 | 803 | 806 | 806 | 799 | 787 | 791 | 802 | 817 | 812 | 824 | 833 | (R) 843 | (R) 850 | (R) 844 | (R) 862 | (R) 865 | 871 | 871 | 872 |
| Bus, intercity | 79 | 94 | 106 | 113 | 125 | 121 | 141 | 143 | 136 | 138 | 138 | 140 | 143 | 144 | 144 | 143 | 143 | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U |
| Commuter rail | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | (R) 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 23 |
| Amtrakb | N | N | N | 236 | 216 | 231 | 273 | 285 | 286 | 280 | 279 | 268 | 256 | 256 | 251 | 248 | 244 | 237 | 234 | 231 | 219 | 215 | 220 | 218 | 215 |
KEY: N = data do not exist; R = revised; U = data are unavailable.
a Total Class I and Class II motor carriers of freight (less-than-truckload, specialized carrier for truckload, and others).
b Amtrak began operations in 1971. Data are reported for fiscal years.
NOTES
Average length of haul for freight is calculated by dividing ton-miles by estimates of tonnage from the various data sources. The calculation of average length of haul for passenger trips varies by mode: for air carrier it is calculated by dividing revenue passenger-miles by revenue passenger enplanements; for commuter rail, intercity bus, and Amtrak it is calculated by dividing passenger-miles by number of passengers. Commuter rail data for 1996 and later is not comparable to previous years' data due to a change in sources.
SOURCES
Freight:
Air carrier:
1960-2001: Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation In America, 2002 (Washington, DC: 2004), p. 65.
2002-08: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, TranStats Database, T-100 Market Data, special tabulation, Mar. 18, 2010.
Truck:
Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation In America, 18th edition(Washington, DC: 2002), p. 65.
Class I rail:
Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), p. 36 and similar pages in previous editions.
Water:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Commerce of the United States, Part 5 (New Orleans, LA: Annual issues), section 1, table 1-4, available at http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/wcsc.htm as of Apr. 05, 2010.
Oil pipeline:
1960-70: Transportation Policy Associates, Washington, DC, personal communication.
1975-99: Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation in America, 18th edition (Washington, DC: 2002), p. 65.
Passenger:
Air carrier:
U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Carrier Traffic Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), p. 3 and similar pages in previous issues.
Intercity bus:
Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation in America, 18th edition (Washington, DC: 2002), p. 64.
Commuter Rail:
1960-95: Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation in America, 18th edition (Washington, DC: 2002), p. 64.
1996-2008: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table 19 and similar tables in earlier editions, available at http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/data.htm as of Apr. 5, 2010.
Amtrak:
1970-85: Amtrak, personal communication, Jan. 26, 1999.
1990-2002: Amtrak, Amtrak Annual Report (Washington, DC: 2003), Statistical Appendix.
2003-08: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: Annual issues).