BTS 35-15 Thursday, July 30, 2015 Contact: Dave Smallen Tel: 202-366-5568
BTS Releases May 2015 North American Freight Numbers
The value of U.S.-NAFTA freight totaled $92.7 billion in May 2015 as all modes carried less U.S.-NAFTA freight than in May 2014, according to the TransBorder Freight Data released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Year-over-year, the value of U.S.-NAFTA freight flows by all modes decreased by 10.8 percent. Large decreases in the value of NAFTA trade by pipeline and vessel in May were due to the reduced unit price of mineral fuel shipments. A recession in Canada likely contributed to the double digit decrease of U.S.-NAFTA freight flows.
Freight by Mode In May 2015 compared to May 2014, the value of commodities moving by rail decreased by 7.4 percent, truck by 5.9 percent and air by 2.4 percent. Vessel freight values decreased by 22.4 percent and pipeline freight decreased by 45.4 percent mainly due to the lower unit price of mineral fuel shipments.
Trucks carried 63.2 percent of U.S.-NAFTA freight and are the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.-NAFTA partners. Trucks accounted for $28.8 billion of the $48.3 billion of imports (59.7 percent) and $29.7 billion of the $44.4 billion of exports (67.0 percent).
Rail remained the second largest mode by value, moving 15.8 percent of all U.S.-NAFTA freight, followed by vessel, 7.6 percent; pipeline, 4.8 percent; and air, 3.7 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 83.8 percent of the total U.S.-NAFTA freight flows.
U.S.-Canada Freight The value of U.S.-Canada freight totaled $48.9 billion in May 2015, down 15.2 percent from May 2014, as all modes of transportation carried a lower value of U.S.-Canada freight than a year earlier. The Bank of Canada reported this month that Canada is in a recession after two consecutive quarters of negative growth in real Gross Domestic Product. Lower mineral fuel prices contributed to a year-over-year decrease in the value of rail freight, down 12.9 percent.
Mineral fuels are a large share of freight carried by vessel, which was down 9.4 percent year-over-year, and pipeline, down 46.5 percent. The tonnage of mineral fuels imported by vessel increased 15.8 percent, somewhat offsetting the large price decline of the commodity.
Trucks carried 57.3 percent of the $48.9 billion of freight to and from Canada, followed by rail, 16.9 percent; pipeline, 8.5 percent; vessel, 6.0 percent; and air, 4.4 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.7 percent of the total U.S.-Canada freight flows.
U.S.-Mexico Freight The value of U.S.-Mexico freight totaled $43.8 billion in May 2015, down 5.3 percent from May 2014, as two out of five transportation modes – air and rail – carried more U.S.-Mexico freight than in May 2014. Year-over-year, the value of U.S.-Mexico air freight rose 2.7 percent, the largest percentage increase of any mode. Freight carried by rail increased by 0.8 percent. Truck freight decreased by 1.9 percent. Pipeline freight decreased by 25.2 percent and vessel freight decreased by 29.7 percent, mainly due to lower mineral fuel prices.
Trucks carried 69.8 percent of the $43.8 billion of freight to and from Mexico, followed by rail, 14.7 percent; vessel, 9.4 percent; air, 3.0 percent; and pipeline, 0.7 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 85.2 percent of the total U.S.-Mexico freight flows.
See BTS Transborder Data Release for summary tables and additional data. See North American Transborder Freight Data on the BTS website for additional data for surface modes since 1995 and all modes since 2004.
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BTS Releases May 2015 North American Freight Numbers
Substantial Demand Underscores Need for TIGER Grants
DOT 68-15 DATE: Thursday, July 30, 2015 Contact: Press Office Tel: 202-366-4570
Substantial Demand Underscores Need for TIGER Grants TIGER 2015 applications totaled $9.8 billion, far exceeding the $500 million for the program
WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced that applications to the U.S. Department of Transportation for its seventh round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants totaled $9.8 billion, almost 20 times the $500 million set aside for the program, demonstrating the continued need for transportation investment nationwide. The demand for infrastructure investments from across the nation, and for all types of transportation projects, has been overwhelming. Among the 625 applications received this year, 60 percent are road projects, 18 percent are transit projects, and 8 percent are rail projects; with port and bicycle-pedestrian applications each representing 6 percent of the total. The Department received 625 eligible construction applications from all 50 states and U.S. territories. There were 565 such applications in 2014.
“The consistent number of high quality projects we’re unable to fund through TIGER every year demonstrates the need for Congress to act to give more communities access to this vital lifeline,” Secretary Foxx said. “That is why we proposed doubling TIGER in the GROW AMERICA Act.”
Earlier this year, the Department reintroduced an improved surface transportation reauthorization bill, the GROW AMERICA Act. The bill would provide $7.5 billion in funding over six years for the TIGER grant program. Under the GROW AMERICA Act, the TIGER grant program will be available for another six years, extending a proven track record of helping communities coordinate innovative, multi-modal transportation projects that serve the diverse travel needs of their residents and businesses in the 21st Century.
The highly competitive TIGER program, which began as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, offers federal funding possibilities for large, transformative multi-modal projects. These federal funds leverage money from private sector partners, state and local governments, metropolitan planning organizations and transit agencies. The $584.1 million awarded under TIGER 2014 supported 72 capital and planning transportation projects in 46 states and the District of Columbia.
Congress provided the most recent funding as part of the bipartisan Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, signed by President Obama on December 16, 2014.
Since 2009, the TIGER grant program has provided a combined $4.1 billion to 342 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Demand has been overwhelming, and during the previous six rounds, the Department received more than 6,000 applications requesting more than $124 billion for transportation projects across the country.
More information about previous years’ TIGER grantees as well as this year’s application process can be found at http://www.transportation.gov/tiger.
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BTS Releases May 2015 Passenger Airline Employment Data
BTS 34-15 Thursday, July 23, 2015 Contact: Dave Smallen Tel: 202-366-5568 BTS Releases May 2015 Passenger Airline Employment Data
U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 2.6 percent more workers in May 2015 than in May 2014, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today. May was the 18th consecutive month that full-time equivalent (FTE) employment for U.S. scheduled passenger airlines exceeded the same month of the previous year and was the highest monthly total since September 2008.
Month-to-month, the number of FTEs rose 0.6 percent from April to May, the fifth consecutive monthly increase. Scheduled passenger airline categories include network, low-cost, regional and other airlines.
The five network airlines that collectively employ two-thirds of the scheduled passenger airline FTEs reported 2.7 percent more FTEs in May 2015 than in May 2014. Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, US Airways and Delta Air Lines increased FTEs from May 2014 while United Airlines reduced FTEs. Month-to-month, the number of network airline FTEs rose 0.6 percent from April to May, rising for the eighth consecutive month. Network airlines operate a significant portion of their flights using at least one hub where connections are made for flights to down-line destinations or spoke cities.
The six low-cost carriers reported 4.3 percent more FTEs in May 2015 than in May 2014. Allegiant Airlines, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and Virgin America reported increases while Frontier Airlines reduced FTEs. Month-to-month, the number of low-cost airline FTEs rose 0.6 percent from April to May, rising for the second consecutive month. Low-cost airlines operate under a low-cost business model, with infrastructure and aircraft operating costs below the overall industry average.
The 12 regional carriers reported 0.3 percent fewer FTEs in May 2015 than in May 2014. Eight regional airlines – PSA Airlines, Compass Airlines, Mesa, Republic Airlines, Horizon Air, GoJet Airlines, SkyWest and Envoy – reported increased employment levels. The others reported decreases. Month-to-month, the number of regional airline FTEs grew 0.3 percent from April to May. Regional carriers typically provide service from small cities, using primarily regional jets to support the network carriers’ hub and spoke systems.
See Passenger Airline Employment press release for summary tables and additional data. Historical employment data can be found on the BTS web site.
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BTS Releases April 2015 U.S. Airline Traffic Data
BTS 33-15 Thursday, July 16, 2015 Contact: Dave Smallen Tel: 202-366-5568 BTS Releases April 2015 U.S. Airline Traffic Data
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today that U.S. airlines’ systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service load factor – a measure of the use of airline capacity – fell to 82.8 percent in April, seasonally adjusted, declining for the second consecutive month. Seasonal adjustment allows the comparing of monthly load factors to all other months.
For April, U.S. airlines reported seasonally-adjusted all-time monthly highs in passenger enplanements, Revenue Passenger-Miles (RPMs) and Available Seat-Miles (ASMs). Systemwide passenger enplanements in April (65.4 million) exceeded the previous record in March 2015 by 0.4 percent. Systemwide RPMs in April (73.8 billion) exceeded the previous record in March 2015 by 0.4 percent. Systemwide ASMs in April (89.1 billion) exceeded the previous record in December 2014 by 0.8 percent. These all-time highs did not result in a higher load factor in April because the airline capacity growth exceeded the growth in passenger travel.
The April load factor of 82.8 was below the all-time seasonally-adjusted high of 84.5 in January 2014. Load factor is a measure of the use of aircraft capacity that compares the system use, measured in RPMs as a proportion of system capacity, measured in ASMs.
The seasonally-adjusted load factor fell in April for the second consecutive month after reaching the highest point in 12 months in February. The load factor declined from March to April despite a 0.3 percent increase in RPMs because system capacity grew faster (0.8 percent increase in ASMs).
Trends: Seasonally-adjusted The April load factor (82.8) dropped to the lowest level since November 2014. In April, RPMs, the passenger measure used to calculate load factor, reached an all-time high. However, the RPM increase did not keep pace with the increase in ASMs, leading to a decrease in the load factor. The last 10 months, starting with July 2014 through April 2015 are the 10 all-time highest months for RPMs with April 2015 the highest.
Unadjusted Systemwide: Load factor (82.5) was down from the all-time April high set in 2014 (83.4). The number of passengers, RPMs and ASMs all reached record highs for the any April.
Domestic: Load factor (84.9) equaled the all-time high for the month of April set in 2014 (84.9). The number of passengers and RPMs reached all-time highs for the month of April. ASMs remained below the pre-recession peak in 2005.
International: Load factor (77.1) was down from April 2014 (80.1) and from the all-time April high set in 2012 (80.2). The number of passengers and RPMs were down from the all-time highs for the month of April, set in 2014. ASMs exceeded the previous record high set in April 2014.
See Air Traffic Release for summary tables and additional data. Additional traffic data can be found on the BTS Airlines and Airports page. Click on a link in the Quick Links box on the right. See Load factor, RPMs, ASMs and Passengers. For more historical data, see Traffic on the BTS website. See Seasonal Adjustment for methodology and additional explanation. See data for airline data since 2000 as well as seasonally-adjusted data for rail, transit, pipelines, trucking and waterways.
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BTS Releases May 2015 Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI)
BTS 32-15 Thursday, July 9, 2015 Contact: Dave Smallen Tel: 202-366-5568 Embargoed until Thursday, July 9, 2015 11:30 a.m. EDT
BTS Releases May 2015 Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI)
The Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI), which is based on the amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry, rose 0.8 percent in May from April, seasonally-adjusted, rising after one month of decline, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS). The May 2015 index level (122.7) was 29.6 percent above the April 2009 low during the most recent recession.
The level of freight shipments in May measured by the Freight TSI (122.7) was 0.5 percent below the all-time high level of 123.3 in November 2014. BTS’ TSI records began in 2000.
The April index was revised to 121.7 from 120.4 in last month’s release but remains below the March index. The indexes for December through March were also revised up slightly.
The Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments by mode of transportation in tons and ton-miles, which are combined into one index. The index measures the output of the for-hire freight transportation industry and consists of data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.
Analysis: There was a large increase in trucking, reversing an April decline. Waterborne also rose along with a smaller increase in pipeline. These increases outweighed declines in air freight, rail carloads, and rail intermodal to produce the 0.8 percent rise in the overall freight index in May. Personal income and employment increased in May, even as the Federal Reserve Board Industrial Production index and, manufacturers’ shipments declined. Revised data indicates that GDP declined in the first quarter of 2015, when the growth of the freight TSI slowed.
Trend: In May, the Freight TSI returned to its March level. Since peaking in November 2014, the index has alternated months of increases and decreases that left it still near the all-time high but 0.5 percent lower than in November, and at the same level as in January 2015. After dipping to 94.6 in April 2009, the index rose 29.6 percent in the succeeding 73 months.
Index highs and lows: Freight shipments in May 2015 (122.7) were 29.6 percent higher than the recent low in April 2009 during the recession (94.6). The May 2015 level was 0.5 percent below the historic peak reached in November 2014 (123.3).
Year to date: Freight shipments measured by the index were virtually unchanged in May compared to the end of 2014
See Freight TSI Press Release for summary tables and additional data. See Transportation Services Index for historical data and methodology.
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