Sunday, March 11, 2012

Various Data Points

Total gasoline consumption declined year over year, and is confirmed here in the year over year decline in total Vehicle Miles Traveled in the U.S., down 1.2% 2011 over 2010.

Total rail tonnage is down month over month February 2012 over 2011, and year over year 2011/2010.

Electricity production (and hence consumption) was down big year over year (4.5% in 2011 over 2010) and January over January 2011/2012 was off a staggering 7.5% (some of that has to be attributed to lower electric heating demand due to the warm winter here in the U.S.)

Here is an excellent chart from "ycharts" on electricity generation over the past 5 years.

"Trucking Tonnage" is bucking these trends.  Or maybe not. California is home to 1/8 of America, and their taxable diesel sales for fiscal year 2011 (which ends November 30) was down from 2010 (but it was sharply increasing in 2nd half of 2011).

To be accurate the big increase in trucking came in December, 2011 - and (if accurate) it was whopper. Also (if accurate) the decline in January 2012 was a whopper.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

It certainly looks like Peak-lotsa-stuff there if those trends hold a few more years.

Thanks.

Stephen B.

Anonymous said...

Truckers aren’t dumb, no one fills up in CA unless they have to and with 300 gallons of fuel they usually don’t have too. Bouncing from coast to coast along I40 they will fill up in OKC and top off at Amarillo, TX or Albuquerque, NM. Along I80 they will fill up in Cheyenne, WY. Along I10 Tucson, AZ.

Best,
Dan

Anonymous said...

Why anyone does anything in California, even visiting, is beyond me.

What a relief it was when my brother's family moved out of that state.

I felt dirty, every time I had visited them.

No longer :-)

Stephen B.

tweell said...

Intermodal carloads are stuff that long-haul truckers would carry in times past. The railroads wanted huge bulk cargoes to make their job easier. Now with computers and scantags, keeping track of smaller items and cargoes is simple and so the railroads are competing with the truckers.

Anonymous said...

This means growth, right? Right? Maybe we are more efficient, MSNBC told me so, the bloviater and chief’s teleprompter said so. Don't question your government’s assumptions, you should believe every rotting stinking lie to come from that blowhole they call their department of labor statistics and other ancillary appendages of ignorance.
Great article about how Greece made college a human right and gave it to everyone in the nation, yet only 18% actually finish with a degree when almost 50% attempt a degree. Free equals waste.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-11/greece-s-students-fighting-stray-dogs-and-despair-amid-college-budget-cuts.html
Dex

Anonymous said...

If you guys are watching the news. Dexter, Mi is my hometown. We made the big time tonight with a couple twisters that tore up town pretty bad. We made it on the weather channel. The best thing they keep on going over the worst parts to make it appear even more terrible than the mess it already was. We hunkered down with the kids, crazy day.

Dex (the name dextred is from dexter)

Anonymous said...

The dollar is falling, treasuries are rising, gold is falling. Liquidity crunch in the offing???

Dex, Glad you and yours are safe!

Regards,

Coal Guy

Anonymous said...

Best anti-feminist rant I've ever read. Just scroll into the comments

http://nudistnaturistamerica.org/nudism-with-a-feminist-twist

Lucas said...

Higher gas prices are a new reality that must be faced by the American people. There is no technical fix to this problem until the competing factions on the issue begin to adapt and reconcile their values toward energy policy.


Read more: http://chriscrosby.net/blog/2012/03/16/americas-gas-pains/