Environmental Effects
Ground freight transportation, the movement of goods using trucking fleets and rail, forms a solid foundation for maintaining our country's economic prosperity and competitive advantage. U.S. companies and organizations use nearly 7 million trucks and 20,000 Class 1 locomotives to transport over 9 billion tons of goods each year, worth nearly 7 trillion dollars. 
The ground freight transport system is invaluable to businesses, consumers and the economy. However, these economic benefits are not without costs. Moving freight accounts for 20% of all energy consumed in transportation sector. Trucks carry about 66% of all freight shipped in the US, while rail carries about 16% (water, pipeline, and air transport account for the rest). Together, truck and rail transport now consume over 35 billion gallons of diesel fuel each year.
While burning fuel is necessary to move goods efficiently by truck and rail, some of that fuel is wasted due to inefficient practices such as excessive idling and using trucks with poor aerodynamic design. That wasted
fuel translates to wasted money for freight transport companies and increased emissions released into the environment.
Burning this fuel produces emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most prevalent greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases create a gaseous "blanket" that prevents ultraviolet rays from leaving the earth's atmosphere, resulting in a "greenhouse," or warming, effect, which is a major part of global climate change. Consuming 35 billion
gallons of diesel fuel produces over 350 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.
Burning this fuel also produces nitrogen oxides (NOx), a contributor to ozone formation, or “smog”, and particulate matter - two air pollutants that have serious health and environmental impacts. Ground freight contributes 40% of transportation related emissions of NOx and 30% of
particulate matter emissions.
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