Commerce via the waterways has been an efficient and effective method to move goods and materials to markets and customers since before history began. The Romans brought grain from Egypt to Rome on ships. The Vikings built wider and deeper long ships for cargo instead of raiding. The Erie Canal, completed in 1825, was a large part in making New York City the center of commerce in young America.

The Texas Transportation Institute has compared three forms of freight transport in the US:

Trucking
Rail
Barges

The capacity on the waterways is better than truck and rail by with one barge carrying the equivalent of 70 trucks or 16 railcars (see the graphic). The situation with liquid cargo is even better for water transport.

CSX railroad commercials have made us aware of fuel efficiency measure of the number of miles they can move a ton of cargo per gallon of diesel fuel, Ton-Miles/Gallon. Water transport fuel efficiency in 2009 was 616 ton-miles/gallon. Here again water transport was more efficient than rail by almost 30% and more efficient than trucking by over 400%.

Waterways: Working for America has a quick overview of the value of our inland waterways. Jim Kruse, is the principle investigator on the revised report. It has the academic title: A Modal Comparison of Domestic Freight Transportation Effects on the General Public: 2001-2009.

Kruse, C.J., A.A. Protopapa, and L.E. Olson. 2007. “Waterways: Working for America.” Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University. http://1.usa.gov/1qgrRug

Kruse, C. James, Annie A. Protopapas, and Leslie E. Olson. 2012. A Modal Comparison of Domestic Freight Transportation Effects on the General Public: 2001-2009. Comparison 406391-F. Houston, TX: Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University. http://bit.ly/1lt1Ozl.

Blog post icon: US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2013. Ship Barge Traffic. JPEG.http://bit.ly/1qgNTgr.