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TABLE 1-2 Change in Labor Productivity of the For-Hire Transportation Industries: 1991-2001

Index: 1991 = 100.0

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KEY: U = data are unavailable.

NOTES: No data are available for water transportation or natural gas pipeline. Data for local trucking, bus carriers, and petroleum pipeline are not available for 2001. Labor productivity measures quality-adjusted ton- and passenger-miles per hour. Quality adjustment corrects for differences in services and handling, e.g., the difference between flying first class and coach or differences in the handling requirements and revenue generation of high- and low-value commodities. Petroleum pipeline labor productivity is measured by output per employee.

Productivity measures for railroad, trucking, and air transportation are estimated based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), whereas local trucking, bus, and pipeline are based on the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System. (Data beyond 2000 will not be available for the latter modes until NAICS-based data are produced.) Railroad includes line-haul railroads primarily engaged in transportation of passengers and cargo over a long distance within a rail network. Trucking comprises establishments engaged in providing long-distance general freight trucking, usually between metropolitan areas that may cross North American country borders. Air includes establishments that provide scheduled and nonscheduled air transportation of passengers and cargo using aircraft, e.g., airplanes and helicopters. Local trucking includes establishments that generally provide trucking services within a single municipality, contiguous municipalities, or a municipality and its suburban areas.

SOURCES: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, calculations based on data from U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Productivity and Technology, "Industry Productivity Database," available at http://www.bls.gov, as of October 2003; and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, "Gross Domestic Product by Industry," available at http://www.bea.gov, as of October 2003.