Did You Know

Facts About the American Tugboat, Towboat, and Barge Industry:

• The American tugboat, towboat, and barge industry creates the opportunity for businesses to invest in new ways of moving products at a cheaper rate. Shipping costs for raw materials average .97 cents per ton mile by barge compared with $2.53 cents per ton mile by truck.
  
• Waterways transportation is the safest mode of commercial freight transportation, with the least number of accidents of any mode.
  
• The industry allows the United States to take advantage of one of its greatest natural resources – the 25,000 mile waterway system – and adds $5 billion a year to the U.S. economy.
  

• Forty-one states, including all states east of the Mississippi River and 16 state capitals, are served by commercially navigable waterways. The U.S. inland waterway system consists of 12,000 miles of navigable waterways.
  
• Illinois is fortunate to be located on the largest river in the Midwest as it saves $1 billion a year on transportation costs by using river transportation rather than other modes of shipment. It would take 9,400,000 more trucks on our highways and 2,450,000 more jumbo hopper rail cars to move the 245 million tons of cargo shipped to and from Illinois. This would significantly increase air and noise pollution, as well as overcrowd our current infrastructure.
  
• There are over 350 manufacturing facilities, power plants, terminals and docks located along Illinois’ navigable rivers dependent on barges to generate power and transport merchandise.
  
• Waterway transportation is the most economical mode of commercial freight transportation due to the enormous capacity of a barge. For example, one barge can transport as much tonnage as 60 semi-trucks or 15 rail cars.
  
• Waterways transportation is the most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly mode of commercial transportation. The greater fuel efficiency of tugboats and towboats results in cleaner air.

• Furthermore, waterways transportation contributes to the American quality of life by moving goods off the already congested roads and rails and away from crowded population centers. Transporting goods by barge reduces highway traffic, fuel consumption, air pollution, wear and tear on highways, and the number of tires sent to landfills.

The American tugboat, towboat, and barge industry:

• Transports 20% of America’s coal, enough to produce 10% of all electricity used each year in the U.S.
• Moves 60% of U.S. grain exports, helping American farmers compete with foreign producers.
• Directly serves 87% of all major U.S. cities, accounting for 79% of all domestic waterborne freight.