"Freight rail carries 27.8% of the ton-miles with 220,000 barrels/day while trucks carry 32.1% of the freight miles with 2.07 million barrels/day (all 2002 data). Light commercial trucks consume another 300,000 barrels/day. This makes railroads more than eight times more fuel-efficient, as well as more labor-efficient than trucking."
I think that the GE’s Evolution® Hybrid locomotive will make the carrying of freight even more effective in moving freight. I also think that if the price of oil keeps increasing, the overall percent of freight carried by rail will increase while that of trucks will decrease. We cannot be using 8 times the amount of fuel to move cargo with trucks even though it may mean the decline of the trucking industry. Some way needs to be found to make trucks much more fuel efficient in the near future or the trucking industry may be in for a serious problem. Substantial increased cost in oil may result in its eventual demise.
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Freight Rail vs Trucking Efficiency
Submitted on May 24th, 2007 by InterestedReader"Freight rail carries 27.8% of the ton-miles with 220,000 barrels/day while trucks carry 32.1% of the freight miles with 2.07 million barrels/day (all 2002 data). Light commercial trucks consume another 300,000 barrels/day. This makes railroads more than eight times more fuel-efficient, as well as more labor-efficient than trucking."
I think that the GE’s Evolution® Hybrid locomotive will make the carrying of freight even more effective in moving freight. I also think that if the price of oil keeps increasing, the overall percent of freight carried by rail will increase while that of trucks will decrease. We cannot be using 8 times the amount of fuel to move cargo with trucks even though it may mean the decline of the trucking industry. Some way needs to be found to make trucks much more fuel efficient in the near future or the trucking industry may be in for a serious problem. Substantial increased cost in oil may result in its eventual demise.
adrianakau@aol.com