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Energy Intensities of Freight: Barge, Truck and Railroad US Department of Energy, Center for Transportation Analysis Transportation Energy Data Book

Note: Great care should be taken when comparing modal energy intensity data among modes. Because of the inherent differences between the transportation modes in the nature of services, routes available, and many additional factors, it is not possible to obtain truly comparable national energy intensities among modes.

Energy Intensities of Freight Modes
1970 - 2003, Table 2.14

	Truck Heavy single-unit and combination	Railroad		Barge Domestic waterborne commerce
Year	(Btu per vehicle-mile)	(Btu per freight car-mile)	(Btu per ton-mile)	(Btu per ton-mile)
1970	24,960	17,669	691	545
1971	24,485	18,171	717	506
1972	24,668	18,291	714	522
1973	24,777	18,468	677	576
1974	24,784	18,852	681	483
1975	24,631	18,739	687	549
1976	24,566	18,938	680	468
1977	24,669	19,226	669	458
1978	24,655	18,928	641	383
1979	24,745	19,188	618	436
1980	24,757	18,742	597	358
1981	25,058	18,629	572	360
1982	24,296	18,404	553	310
1983	23,852	17,864	525	286
1984	23,585	17,795	510	346
1985	23,343	17,500	497	446
1986	23,352	17,265	486	463
1987	22,922	16,790	456	414
1988	22,596	16,758	443	361
1989	22,411	16,894	437	403
1990	22,795	16,619	420	387
1991	24,749	15,835	391	386
1992	22,608	16,043	393	398
1993	22,373	16,056	389	389
1994	22,193	16,340	388	369
1995	22,096	15,992	372	374
1996	22,109	15,747	368	412
1997	21,340	15,784	370	415
1998	21,516	15,372	365	435
1999	22,884	15,363	363	457
2000	23,448	14,917	352	473
2001	23,023	15,108	346	460
2002	23,461	15,003	345	470
2003	23,461	15,016	344	417
Average Annual percentage change
1970-2003	-0.2%	-0.5%	-2.1%	-0.8%
1993-2003	0.5%	-0.7%	-1.2%	0.7%

Sources:

TRUCK
Btu per vehicle-mile - Heavy single-unit and combination truck energy use divided by vehicle miles
Energy Use - Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Statistics, Highway Statistics 2003, Table VM-1 and annual editions back to 1996; Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Statistics, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995. Total gallons for other trucks was the difference between total trucks and 2-axle, 4-tire trucks.
Vehicle-miles - Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Statistics, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, Highway Statistics 2003, Washington, DC, 2004, Table VM1 and annual. (Additional resources: www.fhwa.dot.gov)

RAIL
Btu per freight car-mile - Class I rail energy use divided by freight car-miles.
Both Energy use and Freight car miles - Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts, 2004 Edition, Washington, DC, October 2004, pp. 27, 28, 33, 34, 36, 49, 51, 61.
(Additional resources: www.aar.org)

BARGE
Btu per ton-mile - Domestic waterborne commerce energy use divided by ton-miles.
Domestic Tonnage statistics - All movements between U.S. ports, continental and noncontiguous, and on the inland rivers, canals, and connecting channels of the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, excluding the Panama Canal. Beginning in 1996, fish was excluded for internal and inthrall port domestic traffic.
Energy Use - DOE, EIA, Fuel Oil and Kerosene Sales 2003, Table 23. Adjusted sales of distillate and residual fuel oil for vessel bunkering. (This may include some amounts of bunker fuels used for recreational purposes.)
Ton-miles - U.S. Department of the Army, Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Commerce of the United States, Calenday Year 2002, Part 5: National Summaries, New Orleans, LA, 2004, Table 1-1, p. 1-3, and annual. (Additional resources: www.wrc-ndc.usace.army.mil/ndc)