Fact #412: February 20, 2006
Freight Activity by Mode Share: U.S. Compared to Other Countries
The United States and Canada move a greater share of freight by rail than any of the other countries listed. The European countries move the majority of freight over the road, while Japan moves the majority of freight by water. The 1996 data were the latest available for comparison.
Share of Total Domestic Freight Activity by Transportation Mode: 1996
Supporting Information
| Mode | Canada | France | Germany | Italy | Japan | United Kingdom | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rail | 50.5% | 20.7% | 19.6% | 8.7% | 3.1% | 6.3% | 36.3% |
| Air | 0.14% | 0.08% | 0.01% | 0.11% | 0.09% | 0.01% | 0.29% |
| Water | 9.2% | 5.2% | 17.6% | 13% | 58% | 23.6% | 20.5% |
| Oil pipeline | 23.9% | 9% | 4.1% | 4.7% | NA | 5.5% | 16.6% |
| Road | 16.3% | 65% | 58.6% | 73.5% | 38.1% | 64.7% | 26.4% |
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Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Freight Facts and Figures, 2005, November 2005. | |||||||
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