11.3 Types of Transportation
11.3 Types of TransportationWhen many people think about transportation, they usually picture light-duty vehicles such as cars, SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks. These are the vehicles most people use in everyday life to get to school, work, stores, and other activities. Because they are so common, light-duty vehicles make up a large share of transportation energy use in the United States. In fact, they account for about 52% of total U.S. transportation energy use.
However, transportation includes much more than personal vehicles. A complete understanding of transportation must also include the systems that move goods, raw materials, and large numbers of people from place to place. These systems are essential to the economy and to daily life, even if we do not always notice them.
Light-Duty Vehicles
Light-duty vehicles are used mainly to transport people. This category includes:
- Cars
- Sport utility vehicles (SUVs)
- Minivans
- Small pickup trucks
These vehicles are common because they are convenient and flexible. People can use them for commuting, shopping, and travel. Most light-duty vehicles have traditionally used gasoline, but today they may also be powered by diesel, electricity, or hybrid systems.
Because so many people rely on these vehicles every day, they play a major role in energy demand, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Transportation
Not all transportation is about moving people. A large part of the transportation system is used to move products and materials. This includes trucks that deliver food, furniture, clothing, building supplies, and online orders.
Examples of medium- and heavy-duty transportation include:
- Delivery vans
- Box trucks
- Semi-trucks and tractor-trailers
- Dump trucks
- Buses
These vehicles are especially important because they connect manufacturers, warehouses, stores, and customers. Many of them use diesel fuel because diesel engines are powerful and efficient for carrying heavy loads. However, some buses and trucks are beginning to use electricity, hydrogen, or other alternative fuels.
Rail Transportation
Trains are another important form of transportation. Rail systems can move both people and freight.
- Passenger rail moves people between cities or within urban areas.
- Freight rail moves goods such as coal, grain, chemicals, vehicles, and shipping containers.
Rail transportation is often more energy-efficient than moving the same amount of cargo by truck, especially over long distances. This is one reason trains are important in the broader energy and transportation system.
Water Transportation
Transportation by water is also an important part of the economy. Ships and barges move large amounts of cargo across oceans, rivers, and inland waterways.
Examples include transporting:
- Oil and natural gas products
- Agricultural products such as corn and soybeans
- Coal and other raw materials
- Consumer goods in shipping containers
Water transportation can be very efficient for moving heavy cargo over long distances. Barges, for example, can carry a large amount of material using relatively less energy per ton of cargo compared with trucks.
Air Transportation
We also need to consider air travel. Aircraft move both passengers and cargo quickly over long distances. Air travel is especially important for:
- Business and personal travel
- Emergency and medical transport
- Shipping high-value or time-sensitive goods
Although air transportation is very fast, it usually requires more energy per passenger or per pound of cargo than trains or ships. For this reason, aviation is an important area of study when discussing transportation energy use and efforts to reduce emissions.
Transportation Energy Sources in the United States
In an energy class, it is not enough to know what types of vehicles we use. We also need to know what fuels power them.
Text description of the Transportation Energy Use by Mode and Type image.
The image presents a bar graph illustrating the projected energy use by mode and type for transportation in the U.S. for the year 2025. Each bar represents different transportation modes, with varying lengths and colors indicating their respective percentages of total energy use. The largest bar, depicted in dark purple, signifies light trucks at 33%. This is followed by a light blue bar for cars and motorcycles at 19%, and a green bar representing other trucks at 23%. The brown bar denotes aircraft at 12%, while smaller bars in various colors signify boats and ships (4%), pipeline fuel (3%), trains and buses (3%), military (all modes) (2%), and lubricants (less than 1%). The graph is accompanied by a data source note at the bottom, including detailed citation information.
Data table for the bar chart.
| Mode/Type | Perecent Usage |
|---|---|
| Light Trucks | 33 |
| Cars and Motorcycles | 19 |
| Other rucks | 23 |
| Aircraft | 12 |
| Boats and Ships | 4 |
| Pipeline Fuel | 3 |
| Trains and Buses | 3 |
| Military (all modes) | 2 |
| Lubricants | <1 |