Due to its ability to move major quantities of freight at one time, rail shipping has a lower cost-per-ton-mile (the cost of moving one ton of freight one mile) than truck shipping. In fact, a train requires less energy to move …Jun 16, 2015 · Barges being towed down a river will get 953 net ton-miles, but being towed against the flow of the current will drop to 243 (Tolliver) with an overall average of 576 ton-miles, with rail 413, truck 155. Davis reports that rail (294 Btu/ton-mile in 2012) is 40% more energy intensive than barge (210 Btu/ton-mile in 2012), nearly the same ... Pros: The per ton-mile cost of rail can be significantly less expensive than trucking, especially over longer distances, as is the fuel-efficiency and sustainability. Cons: Rail service does not offer near the flexibility of trucking and train transits are often deterrents in a shipper selecting rail from all the freight shipping options.TANKER TRUCKS 5.4– 42.3 CENTS PER TON MILE FOR HIGHWAY FREIGHT 2.5–3 CENTS PER TON MILE FOR RAIL VS. VS. In 2014, the average rush-hour commuter spent about 42 HOURS IN TRAFFIC, wasting aweek's worth of fuel and contributing to at least $160 BILLION of the nation's delay and fuel cost, according to the Texas Transportation Institute. If we ... Jul 31, 2020 · Freight trains can carry one ton of freight nearly 500 miles while only using 1 gallon of diesel fuel.Compared with over the road trucks, moving freight by rail reduces greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 75% while also reducing road congestion and roadway wear and tear. Freight transportation plays an important role in our global economy. Billions of tons of cargo are transported around the world each year by trucks, planes, ships, and trains. This transportation makes up …Rail works well for longer journeys and is less expensive than trucking. The point of cost neutrality between rail and trucking is …The data tables are based on primary data that EIA collects from plant owners and operators on Form EIA-923, Power Plant Operations Report, and on supplement data and analysis of coal transportation costs that we released in June 2011 and November 2012. The initial report on coal transportation rates covered 2001 through 2008, applied …Apr 20, 2020 · The cost to combine rail and truck using a bulk transfer terminal is approximately $95.54 per net ton. By comparison, rail direct is $70.27 per net ton, and over-the-road truck is $214.96 per net ton. Using multi-modal rail and truck transit compared to truck alone, you can cut transportation costs by more than half. Railcar Equipment Costs The calculator takes into account our spot transport rates by truck in Europe. To give you the best price, our algorithms are based on multiple factors such as: Our carrier network coverage in the area of the selected route. Distance between the pick-up and delivery address.Soybean meal for feed showed a low of $8 per ton to a high of $70.23, while soymeal for export showed a low of $11.90 per ton to a high of $65.30. Biodiesel costs showed the widest range with the ...Cost: Safety: Rail: 455 ton-miles/ gallon: 216 million annual tons per track: 2.7 cents per ton-mile: 0.61 fatalities per billion tonmiles: Diesel Truck : 105 ton-miles/ gallon: 37.8 million annual tons per lane: 5.0 cents per ton-mile: 1.45 fatalities per billion tonmiles: Rail Freight is: 4 times more fuel efficient;Cost: Safety: Rail: 455 ton-miles/ gallon: 216 million annual tons per track: 2.7 cents per ton-mile: 0.61 fatalities per billion tonmiles: Diesel Truck : 105 ton-miles/ gallon: 37.8 million annual tons per lane: 5.0 cents per ton-mile: 1.45 fatalities per billion tonmiles: Rail Freight is: 4 times more fuel efficient;The cost for a railroad to ship lumber will depend on the size of the shipment and how far it must travel. In general, shipping by rail has a lower cost-per-ton mile (the cost to ship one ton of freight one mile) than shipping by truck. To learn how much it costs to ship wood, lumber, construction materials, and wood products like plywood, OSB ... The study shows that, based on the annualized cost methodology, the transport cost per ton-mile via freight pipeline is cost competitive with truck, rail, and TOFC for four of the five configurations within the Philadelphia-Chicago transportation corridor if the annual tonnage is high. For the fifth configuration, truck is clearly a less ...The figure confirms a secular decline in transport costs over time. The price per ton mile of rail freight fell from about 18.5 cents in 1890 to about 2 in 2000. Figure 3 compares the evolution of the cost of truck, rail and pipeline transport costs for the U.S. during the post Second World War period (measured as revenue per ton mile in 2001 ...Higher costs from longer trips are also sending ocean rates spiking: Asia – N. Europe rates more than doubled to above $4,000/FEU this week, with Asia – Mediterranean prices climbing to $,5,175/FEU. Some carriers have announced rates above $6k/FEU for Mediterranean shipments starting mid-month, and surcharges of $500 to as much as …Pros: The per ton-mile cost of rail can be significantly less expensive than trucking, especially over longer distances, as is the fuel-efficiency and sustainability. Cons: Rail service does not offer near the flexibility of trucking and train transits are often deterrents in a shipper selecting rail from all the freight shipping options.While some costs in the U.S., like land and labor, tend to be relatively high compared to elsewhere in the world, the U.S. stays competitive by having an efficient, low cost transportation system. Grains and oilseeds rely on an integrated multimodal transportation system to move from farm to market, including truck, barge, rail, and ocean vessels.Dec 25, 2017 · A per container railway transportation cost of $2.50 per mile can be applied to the Long Beach – Chicago (2,100 miles - $5,200) and Long Beach – Newark/New York City (3,000 miles - $7,500) links. We also present the comparable estimates for general freight TL trucks from Forkenbrock (1999). The total external cost for these trucks is 0.86 cent per ton-mile. …Feb 12, 2019 · Railways consume up to 9x less energy per tonne-kilometer traveled than trucks; On average, trains are 4x more fuel-efficient; Can carry more freight at the same time; Cheaper for long-distance; Emit 75% fewer GHG emissions; Truck. Predictable scheduling; Cost-effective for short distances; Better for perishable foods that can be put in storage ... U.S. freight railroads, on average, move one ton of freight nearly 500 miles per gallon of fuel. On average, railroads are three to four times more fuel efficient than trucks. That means moving freight by rail instead of trucks lowers greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75%, on average. • Reducing Highway Congestion: U.S. freight railroads, on average, move one ton of freight nearly 500 miles per gallon of fuel. On average, railroads are three to four times more fuel efficient than trucks. That means moving freight by rail instead of trucks lowers greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75%, on average. • Reducing Highway Congestion:Rail Barge Truck Exports Ocean Brazil Mexico Grain Truck/Ocean Rate Advisory Datasets Specialists Subscription Information----- The next release is ... the rate for shipping a metric ton (mt) of grain from the U.S. Gulf to Japan was $82.25. This was unchanged from the ... high auction and secondary market rates could exceed the base …Rail costs assume loading 567 barrels of 956 kg/m3 at 15ºC (12API) undiluted bitumen into 25,330 US gallon tank cars with a track weight limitation of 268,000 gross weight on rail (GWoR). Rail rates are calculated using the American Association of Railways published 2015 cents per ton-mile average rail rates for all services all types of commodities …The data tables are based on primary data that EIA collects from plant owners and operators on Form EIA-923, Power Plant Operations Report, and on supplement data and analysis of coal transportation costs that we released in June 2011 and November 2012. The initial report on coal transportation rates covered 2001 through 2008, applied …The average shipment by truck was 63 miles compared to an average of 640 miles by rail. Hazardous materials shipments by hazard class Flammable liquids are the predominant hazardous materials transported in the United States, accounting for 81.8 percent by value, 83.1 percent by weight, and 70.5 percent of the ton-miles of all hazardous ..."revenue per ton of freight per mile" and "average cost of carrying one ton of freight one mile." The use of these statistics, however, carried the following admonition(~): 19 . 20 ... truck-journey, or the aircraft-journey as our unit of output." He also suggested that ... such as ton-miles per person-hour, indicate that rail productivity has grown at a rate of 5 to 6 …The study shows that, based on the annualized cost methodology, the transport cost per ton-mile via freight pipeline is cost competitive with truck, rail, and TOFC for four of the …Comparison of Freight Rail and Trucking. As of 2014, freight rail resulted in 21.2 metric tons of GHG emissions per million ton-miles while trucks emitted 154.1 metric tons of …For each barge-related fatality, there are 21 rail fatalities and 79 trucking deaths. In addition, fuel “spills of more than 1,000 gallons are very low for barges, at 2.12 gallons per-million-ton-miles, rail at 5.95 and trucks at 6.04.” Using barge transportation can drastically improve working conditions and cut down on the risk and ...A ton-mile is one ton shipped for one mile. While truck incidents involving hazardous ... 380 for truck, compared with 23 for rail, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The ...Thus carrying 1777 passengers we can calculate an efficiency of 16.7 passenger miles per imperial gallon (16.9 L/100 p·km or 13.9 p·mpg –US). Cruise ships. MS Oasis of the Seas has a capacity of 6,296 passengers and a fuel efficiency of 14.4 passenger miles per US gallon. Source: IEA (2019). Transportation modes have a variety of environmental performance that can be measured in terms of CO2 emissions by unit traveled. For passengers, it involves grams of CO2 per passenger-kilometer, and for freight, it involves grams of CO2 per ton-km. Massification (economies of scale) is a key element in the environmental ...The following table shows the amount of CO2 (in grams) emitted per metric ton of freight and per km of transportation: Air plane (air cargo), average Cargo B747. 500 g. Modern lorry or truck. 60 to 150 g. Modern train. …Latest shipping cost news. Global declines in the cost of freight, brought on by ongoing shortages, high interest rates, and falling demand caused by the cost of living crisis, have reversed the price hikes caused by the pandemic. The average cost of shipping a 40-foot container fell to $1,681 (£1,347) in September 2023, down from $4,942 (£ ...Massive economies of scale come into play that enable container ships and barges to have the lowest cost per-ton-mile of any transportation mode. However, keep an eye out for warehousing fees at seaports, which can be expensive if your freight needs to sit in storage for a while, especially if it all arrives at the same time! ... Ships and barges typically travel …Freight transportation plays an important role in our global economy. Billions of tons of cargo are transported around the world each year by trucks, planes, ships, and trains. This transportation makes up …FormalPara Box 2.1 Alternative Gas-to-Market Transport Options . A number of methods have been developed to transport and monetize the energy value of methane. This includes the transportation of compressed natural gas (CNG) containers and small-scale LNG ISO tanks via trucks and rail.These “virtual pipelines” can play a crucial role …Table Of Contents Shipping by Rail vs Truck What is Truckload Shipping? What is Rail Shipping? What is the Difference Between Rail and Road Transport? What are the Advantages of …Trucks have cost advantages for shorter distances (less than 250 to 500 miles) and function primarily as the short-haul mode between farm and local silos. ... often less than half of rail’s per ton-mile cost. The economics of unit rail trains. There have been three technical advances in the past half century that have helped U.S. railroads retain …The study shows that, based on the annualized cost methodology, the transport cost per ton-mile via freight pipeline is cost competitive with truck, rail, and TOFC for four of the …Revenue per revenue ton-mile is the revenue earned for transporting one ton of freight across one mile. ... It relies on the use of standardized containers/trailers that can be transferred from ship to rail to truck with no reloading or unloading of the freight itself. ... Average Cost per Full-Time Employee (FTE) Average cost per employee – FTE is …Freight Transport Revenue per Ton Mile. Source: BTS, Table 3-21. Note: Cents per ton-mile. In a competitive market, the revenue a transport company generates depends on its costs and profit margin. High revenue per ton-mile is directly related to high operating costs associated with this revenue generation.Weight and Value of Freight Shipments by Domestic Mode: 2017 Domestic Mod The ton-mile is a standard measure of freight activity that combine distance and weight. Railway and motor both are the mode of transportation so they have the relationship but rail taken largest percentage of intercity freight ton-miles because: • Economically transport capability for large shipment is the reason rail continues to handle largest percentage of …of crude spilled per ton-mile of rail transport declined significantly between the early 1990s and the 2002-2007 period, the most recent years for which data are available.4 Nonetheless, the increase in rail shipments of crude has raised safety and environmental concerns. Feb 7, 2023 · The same study referenced above showed that external costs per ton-mile amounted to about $2.62 – $5.86 for road transport compared to only $0.3 – $0.82 for rail transport. Rail external costs are 0.24 cent to 0.25 cent (US) per ton-mile, well less than the 1.11 cent for freight trucking, but external costs for rail generally constitute a larger amount relative to private costs, 9.3–22.6%, than is the case for trucking, 13.2%.Freightos – The Digital Ocean Freight Shipping Platform: Costs, Prices, Rates, and More. Instantly compare ocean freight shipping rates with freight quotes from vetted providers. Find the balance of price and transit time that works for your ocean freight. ... At about $5-8 per kilo, a China-US shipment between 150 kg and 500 kg can …Water Air (including truck and air) Rail (includes truck and rail) Pipeline Other and unknown b) 0 50 100 150 200 250 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Index: 1980=100 Intercity truck Class I rail Water Oil pipeline Figure 1. a) Modal share in 1997; and b) change since 1980 in domestic ton-miles carried by mode.A ton-mile is one ton shipped for one mile. While truck incidents involving hazardous ... 380 for truck, compared with 23 for rail, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The ...What’s more, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates the total number of U.S. freight shipments will increase by 30% from 18.6 billion tons in 2018 to 24.2 billion tons in 2040 – which means there is a very good chance even more freight will travel by rail in the future.Sep 9, 2019 · A rail movement might cost in the 4.5 cents per ton-mile price range versus a truck price in the 9 cents or higher range. The trade-off to the shipper, however, can often be a higher inventory carrying cost because carloads arrives a day early or a day late as much as 40% of the time. Nov 20, 2020 · 6 min. Rail is the lowest-emitting mode of freight per ton mile. This infographic shows that rail is only responsible for 6% of logistics-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Rail emits 23 grams of CO2 per ton-mile compared to trucking, which is at 202. Here’s how environmental sustainability trends in rail freight are looking for 2021. Emissions Calculator. The most comprehensive CO 2 emissions calculator for transport and logistics by air, rail, road, sea and navigable waterways. Worldwide coverage with additional option for CO 2 calculations for cool cargo. Weight of shipment in (kg) Cool cargo. Emissions calculation for refrigerated temperature controlled/cooled freight ...Oct 15, 2020 · Intermodal spot rates were $1.74 per mile at the beginning of October, compared to the monthly average of $1.31 in May, according to Croke. Overall, U.S. railroads originated about 1.4 million intermodal containers in September, an increase of more than 7% YoY, according to the latest numbers from the Association of American Railroads . On an average annual basis, air grew the fastest (5 percent per year), followed by rail and truck (4 percent each). Rail and truck accounted for the majority of domestic traffic, representing 39 percent and 30 percent of domestic ton-miles, respectively, in 2000 . Truck data, however, do not include retail and government shipments and …Truck: As cited in U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, Truck Profile, available at …Mar 17, 2023 · The large capacity of rail freight also makes it more cost-effective than trucking. Rail shipping often costs 2-3 times less than shipping by truck on a per-ton-mile basis. This cost difference becomes especially heightened for long-distance moves that are at least 500 miles. The economics of scale kick in for rail at longer distances. Oct 23, 2023 · When shipping in bulk, the cost per ton-mile for rail transport is often lower than other methods. A train will use less energy when carrying freight that’s equivalent to 300 trucks. This means less fuel is used, which saves costs for shippers. Shipping freight by rail is faster than truck, but only if traveling over long distances. In the U.S., freight trains are often 3,500 meters (2.175 miles) in length; in western Europe, freight train lengths are closer to 750 meters (less than one-half mile). As a result, the unit costs per train in Europe are relatively high – and prices paid by shippers are much higher than a U.S. freight rail customer would pay over a similar ...Mar 17, 2023 · The large capacity of rail freight also makes it more cost-effective than trucking. Rail shipping often costs 2-3 times less than shipping by truck on a per-ton-mile basis. This cost difference becomes especially heightened for long-distance moves that are at least 500 miles. The economics of scale kick in for rail at longer distances. Lower electricity and maintenance costs will magnify the impact of autonomous-related cost reductions. If autonomous electric trucks were to absorb the ton-miles shipped over rail in the US, the truck logistics market could double to roughly 3.4 trillion ton-miles, a $100 billion market-opportunity.Rail Energy Cost Analysis Package: The system Perspective. AAR Report R-467, Association of American Railroads, Washington, D.C., Aug. 1984. ... M.B. Hargrove. The Economics of Improved Truck Design. In The Economics and Performance of Freight Car Trucks, AAR Report R-490, Associ ation of American Railroads, Chicago, Ill., ... nance …research found that this cross-cost elasticity has gone down in the European Union (Jourquin et al., 2014; Beuthe et al., 2014). One reason for the range of the results found across countries may be because truck and rail can serve as both substitutes on some routes but also asNov 19, 2009 · How does rail compare with truck in terms of fuel efficiency? This report provides a comprehensive evaluation of the factors that affect the relative performance of both modes in different corridors and scenarios. Find out the results and implications for freight transportation policy and planning. TANKER TRUCKS 5.4– 42.3 CENTS PER TON MILE FOR HIGHWAY FREIGHT 2.5–3 CENTS PER TON MILE FOR RAIL VS. VS. In 2014, the average rush-hour commuter spent about 42 HOURS IN TRAFFIC, wasting aweek's worth of fuel and contributing to at least $160 BILLION of the nation's delay and fuel cost, according to the Texas Transportation Institute. If we ... Jul 31, 2020 · Freight trains can carry one ton of freight nearly 500 miles while only using 1 gallon of diesel fuel.Compared with over the road trucks, moving freight by rail reduces greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 75% while also reducing road congestion and roadway wear and tear. freight haulers, nor shippers, nor consumers. The unpriced external costs of transporting freight by truck (per ton-mile) are around eight times higher than by rail; those costs net of existing taxes represent about 20 percent of the cost of truck transport and about 11 percent of the cost of rail transport. The U.S. freight transportation system moved 49.5 million tons of goods valued at more than $52.7 billion each day in 2015—about 56 tons of freight per year for every man, woman, and child in the United States, an increase of 4.0 percent over 2012 per capita tons. Historically, trucks carry the largest shares by value, tons, and ton-miles for ...Total of Median Costs 4.0 0.5 2014 Cents Per Ton-Mile Note: For damages from CO 2, three numbers are shown to describe the distribution of estimates of external costs; values toward the middle of the range are much more likely to be selected. For other sources of external costs, ... Shift in Ton-Miles From Truck to Rail (Percent) 3.6 3.9 3.8 0.8 …So a 100 car train, each carrying 100 tons, over a distance of 1000 miles, would cost $100,000. On the other hand, Intermodal container shipping rates depend heavily on the route taken over ... but many of the people and businesses shipping freight do not have enough of a good to fill a whole truck or rail car every time they need something …Railroads move roughly 40% of long-distance freight volume (measured by ton-miles) in the United States. Despite the large volume of freight moved, U.S. EPA data show freight railroads only account for 0.5% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and just 1.7% of emissions from transportation-related sources.The data tables are based on primary data that EIA collects from plant owners and operators on Form EIA-923, Power Plant Operations Report, and on supplement data and analysis of coal transportation costs that we released in June 2011 and November 2012. The initial report on coal transportation rates covered 2001 through 2008, applied …For example, a 2015 study conducted by the Congressional Budget Office, found that moving cargo via rail costs about 5.1 cents per ton-mile, whereas the cost via truck is 15.6 cents per ton-mile, and this because a truck can handle 1 – 2 containers per trip, whereas a train can handle a few hundred. There are also external costs indicating …On average, railroads move one ton of freight nearly 500 miles per gallon of fuel, and trains are four times more fuel efficient than trucks. Plus, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data show freight railroads account for only 0.5% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and only 1.9% of the transportation-related sources. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has revised the methodology for calculating freight ton‐miles across modes. 1 The objective is to make more comprehensive estimates by using the estimates of total freight ton‐miles and pipeline ton‐miles from the Federal Highway Administration's Freight Analysis Framework 2 (FAF). FAF uses the …Water Air (including truck and air) Rail (includes truck and rail) Pipeline Other and unknown b) 0 50 100 150 200 250 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Index: 1980=100 Intercity truck Class I rail Water Oil pipeline Figure 1. a) Modal share in 1997; and b) change since 1980 in domestic ton-miles carried by mode.GTMC includes the revenue ton-miles of cargo, as well as the tare ton-miles of the cars, trailers, and containers needed. The overall relationship between GTMC and fuel consumption is illustrated in Fig. 1, in which each square represents an individual railroad and year.As the trend line suggests, there is a strong linear relationship between fuel …Further, freight cost by rail is ~45% lower on a per ton per km basis compared to average road freight cost.10 ii. Pollution reduction: Increased freight movement on higher sized trucks and rail will enable in ~12% reduction in CO 2 emissions for the top 15 nodes. Higher sized vehicles, on account of lower fuel consumption per ton per km, will ...A ton of bulk product can be transported 675 miles by barge inland on a gallon of fuel, compared to 472 miles by railcar or 151 miles by truck. Barges. From an emissions standpoint, rail and tanker transport emit approximately 40 and 800%, respectively, more CO2 per tonne-mile of cargo transported than an inland tanker barge.Table Of Contents Shipping by Rail vs Truck What is Truckload Shipping? What is Rail Shipping? What is the Difference Between Rail and Road Transport? What are the Advantages of …May 3, 2021 · As the transportation costs of shipping the same ton-miles is lower using rail than truck, sometimes this cost saving is referred as the transportation efficiency benefit of using rail vs. truck ... The results are based on the projected average mix of trucks and trains in California for the given year. Results show that as California’s current truck regulations are implemented through 2023, trucks are producing less particulate matter (PM 2.5) and oxides of nitrogen (NO X) emissions. By 2023, trucks will be the cleaner mode to …
"The cost to combine rail and truck using a bulk transfer terminal is approximately $95.54 per net ton. By comparison, rail direct is $70.27 per net ton, and …. Jose y carlos
Jan 6, 2012 · The graph below was created using Google’s chart tools. The vertical bar graph shows the costs per ton mile for shipping freight on four transportation modes – truck, rail, air, and water. The costs per ton mile amounts are computed from US Department of Transportation data for 2002. The costs per ton mile were computed by dividing the 2002 ... What’s more, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates the total number of U.S. freight shipments will increase by 30% from 18.6 billion tons in 2018 to 24.2 billion tons in 2040 – which means there is a very good chance even more freight will travel by rail in the future.Oct 15, 2020 · Intermodal spot rates were $1.74 per mile at the beginning of October, compared to the monthly average of $1.31 in May, according to Croke. Overall, U.S. railroads originated about 1.4 million intermodal containers in September, an increase of more than 7% YoY, according to the latest numbers from the Association of American Railroads . Table 1: Grain Transport Cost Indicators (xlsx) - Weekly changes in truck, rail, barge, and ocean freight rates using diesel prices, nearby secondary rail market rates, Illinois barge rates, and ocean freight rates from U.S. Gulf and PNW to Japan as proxies. Source: Transportation & Marketing Programs/AMS/USDA by truck (per ton-mile) are around eight times higher than by rail; those costs net of existing taxes represent about 20 percent of the cost of truck transport and about 11 …One train can remove hundreds of trucks off the highways. Not only does moving freight by rail instead of truck lowers GHG emissions by up to 75%, on average, it reduces the economic toll of congestion and expensive highway repairs. As taxes and fees from commercial trucks inadequately cover the cost of highway damage, freight rail’s privateEnergy intensity is the amount of energy used to produce a given level of output or activity, which is measured by vehicle-miles, freight-car-miles, or ton-miles. Since 2010, the energy intensity of trucking has decreased by 3.2 percent while Btu per freight car-mile increased by 5.2 percent and Btu per ton-mile increased by 3.1 percent.One Rail Car: 100 tons: 3,500 bushels: 30,240 gallons: 100-Car Train Unit: 10,000 tons: 350,000 bushels: 3,024,000 gallons: Large Semi: 26 tons: 910 bushels: 7,865 gallons: Safety of Shipping Methods. Comparison of the safety records of barge, train, and semi truck per billion ton-miles (Source: C. Jake Haulk Ph.D. – Inland Waterways as Vital …How much does a truck cost per net ton? By comparison, rail direct is $70.27 per net ton, and over-the-road truck is $214.96 per net ton. ... The costs per ton mile were computed by dividing the 2002 data for the total costs of shipping freight in each of the four modes by the total ton miles shipped for each of the four modes.Rail shipping is much more cost-effective than truck shipping for several reasons. Rail is a much more fuel-efficient mode of transportation. Railcars can also …The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that BTUs extended on per-ton mile total 433 for water transport and 696 for rail transport. However, Greene and Fan (1995)6 found rail and barge efficiencies to be much closer with the BTUs per-ton mile being 344, and 398 respectively. Davis (1999) found rail to be more energy effi-cient, with ... Rail shipping is much more cost-effective than truck shipping for several reasons. Rail is a much more fuel-efficient mode of transportation. Railcars can also …Trucks have cost advantages for shorter distances (less than 250 to 500 miles) and function primarily as the short-haul mode between farm and local silos. ... often less than half of rail’s per ton-mile cost. The economics of unit rail trains. There have been three technical advances in the past half century that have helped U.S. railroads retain …Table 1: Grain Transport Cost Indicators (xlsx) - Weekly changes in truck, rail, barge, and ocean freight rates using diesel prices, nearby secondary rail market rates, Illinois barge rates, and ocean freight rates from U.S. Gulf and PNW to Japan as proxies. Source: Transportation & Marketing Programs/AMS/USDA.