Business View Magazine - Dec 2023

“The Mississippi River Valley drains almost 40% of the United States,” he reports. “It touches and/ or includes 32 states and two Canadian provinces. It’s probably the greatest natural highway for the transportation of goods coming in and goods going down the river for export, or across the United States. And barges are the most cost-effective and safest mode of transportation there is. That’s why it’s the backbone of the U.S. transportation system.” Kohnke is spot on regarding the barge industry’s well-deserved reputation for efficiency. A typical inland barge has a capacity 15 times greater than one rail car, and 60 times greater than one semi trailer-truck. “And a single barge requires only a gallon of fuel to move one ton of cargo 647 miles,” he adds. “A truck would only go 145 miles.” And as far as safety goes, Executive Vice President, Jeff Norgress provides the following statistic: “One barge injury equals 96 freight rail injuries and 1,145 freight truck injuries,” he suggests. Overall, there is no doubt that the tugboat, towboat, 237 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 12 CHEM CARRI ERS