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Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM

Trucking will increase its share of the nation's freight pool and continue to dominate domestic freight movement into the next decade, the American Trucking Associations reports in its new United States Freight Transportation Forecast to 2017.

The forecast projects trucking's total tonnage share to rise to 69.2 percent in 2011 and to 69.5 percent by 2017 from 68.9 percent in 2005. Above average growth in key truck commodities and the inherent flexibility and on-time delivery associated with trucking is driving industry growth. Trucking's share of total revenue is projected to reach 85.1 percent by 2017, up from 84.3 percent in 2005.

Produced for ATA by Global Insight, the forecast projects robust growth in rail intermodal and air freight. These two modes represent the fastest-growing segments during the forecast period, although neither mode will have more than 1.5 percent of the total tonnage market by 2017.

Total rail tonnage (including carloads and intermodal units) will edge up to 14.7 percent of domestic tonnage in 2017 from 14.5 percent in 2005. Water passage, which accounted for 6.6 percent of the domestic transport market in 2005, is expected to expand by 2.6 percent a year over the next six years and 1.9 percent a year thereafter to 2017.

The forecast can be purchased through ATA's MarketPlace at www.truckline.com/store.