ATA report: Trucks increased share of domestic freight tonnage in 2013

Last year, trucks moved 69.1 percent of all domestic freight tonnage, up from 68.5 percent in 2012, according to the 2014 edition of the American Trucking Associations' (ATA) "American Trucking Trends" report.

The trucking industry also collected 81.2 percent of all freight revenue in 2013 versus 80.7 percent in 2012. In addition, trucks moved the majority of all NAFTA trade last year, hauling 55.4 percent of all traded goods with Canada and 65.4 percent of all traded products with Mexico, ATA officials said in a press release.

"This report shows once again what a critical role trucking plays in the U.S. economy," said ATA President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Graves. "Trucking continues to move the most, and most valuable, freight in the United States despite the challenges of congestion, regulations and crumbling infrastructure."

Informational graphics released by the association in conjunction with the report state that it takes trucks nine days to transport as many loads as moved via rail intermodal in all of 2013, and that if all loads delivered by trucks in 2013 were connected end to end, they would stretch from Earth to the moon more than 11 times.

The association expects to soon release its "ATA Freight Forecast to 2025" report, which will compare the percentage of domestic freight moved by rail and truck in 2013.