The trucking industry will continue to dominate domestic freight transportation modes, increasing its share of all freight tonnage moved throughout the U.S. to 68.2% by 2008,
according to the American Trucking Assns. (ATA) soon-to-be-released U.S. Freight Transportation Forecast to 2014.
"This number represents a gain in market share of 0.8% points and keeps trucking squarely in the driver's seat as the dominant mode of transportation for delivering America's goods," said Bob Costello, ATA chief economist and vice president.
The forecast projects rail will move 13.4% of domestic tonnage (primarily bulk freight) five years from now and that the volume of freight carried by rail intermodal (shared container/truck movements) will be 1.4%. Pipeline will transport 9.3% of freight volume, water passage will move 7.6%, and air deliveries will carry 0.2% of total tonnage.
There is no "free lunch" either when it comes to moving freight, according to another ATA publication, Standard Trucking and Transportation Statistics, or STATS. The bi-monthly bulletin reports that commercial trucks paid $31.8 billion in federal and state highway user taxes in 2000 -- $16.5 billion to the states and $15.3 billion to the federal government. As of January 2002, the federal fuel tax for each gallon of diesel fuel was 24.4 cents.
The ATA is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of other trucking groups, industry-related conferences and its 50 affiliated state trucking associations, ATA represents nearly 38,000 members covering every type of motor carrier in the U.S.