Mode	Value	Volume	Service	Distance
Truck	Moderate to high	Loads of less than 50,000 lbs.	On-time performance above 90%.	Driver can go 500 miles per day. 2/3 of tonnage carried over less than 100 miles.
Rail	Moderate to low	Multiple car loads. No weight restrictions.	4 to 7 days delivery time. 60 to 85% on-time performance.	Average haul length between 600 and 800 miles.
Intermodal	Moderate to high	No weight restrictions.	3 days for cross country. On-time performance between truck and rail.	Average haul between 700 and 1,500 miles.
Air	High	Small. Most loads less than 100 lbs.	Normally overnight or second day.	More than 1,300 miles.
Inland Water	Moderate to low	Bulk shipments.	Varies according to segment. Competitive with rail.	Between 250 and 1,600 miles.
Coastal Water	Moderate to low	Containers, general freight and bulk shipments.	Function of distance. Between 2 to 5 days.	Between 500 and 2,000 miles.
International Water	High to low	Mainly containers and bulk shipments.	7 to 10 days trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific routes.	More than 2,600 miles.
Pipeline	Low	Bulk shipment of liquids and gazes.	According to demand. 0 to 20 mph.	825 miles average distance for crude oil.

Source: US-DOT, FHA (1998) US Freight: Economy in Motion. http://ntl.bts.gov/data/freightus98.pdf

Modal Profile of Freight Transportation, United States

The table provides an overview of operational considerations of freight transportation modes, notably in the American context. Most of the data also applies to other settings, such as Western Europe.

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