Highway Ton-Miles to Rise Almost 50% by 2045, USDOT Says
Freight-ton miles, the movement of one ton of freight for one mile,Ìýare expected to rise by almost 50% by 2045, the U.S. Department of Transportation said Jan. 10.
Freight-ton miles are expected to increaseÌýto 7.6 trillion in 30 years, according to a new report from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the Federal Highway Administration.
The prediction, from the newest Freight Analysis Framework, was increased from a 2015 forecast of 5.1 trillion miles.
The new projection is the first release of ton-mile numbers from the updated FAF series using the base year of 2012.
Trucks currently are by far the single most-used mode to move freight, moving 64% of the tonnage in 2015 and 69% of the value, according to a
Estimates by DOT show that in 2015, nearly 18.1 billion tons of goods worth about $19.2 trillion were moved on the nation’s transportation network. On a daily basis, 49 million tons of goods valued at more than $53 billion are shipped throughout the country on all transportation modes.
By 2045, total freight on all transportation modesÌý— air, vessel, pipeline, rail and trucksÌý— is projected to reach 25 billion tons while the value is expected to grow to $37 trillion, according to DOT.
