ton-mile

American  

[tuhn-mahyl] / ˈtʌnˈmaɪl /

noun

1. a unit of freight transportation measurement equivalent to a ton of freight transported one mile.

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Other Word Forms

• ton-mileage
  noun

Etymology

Origin of ton-mile

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ton-mile

In Europe, where railroads faced heavy state involvement, costs per ton-mile are twice as expensive as in the U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026

Railroads carry 43 percent of the nation’s freight as measured by the ton-mile, according to their trade group, the Association of American Railroads.

From BusinessWeek ● Feb. 7, 2012

But the U.S. is spending only $2.5 billion a year on roads while $4 billion would be needed to maintain the 1936 ratio of spending per ton-mile of traffic.

From Time Magazine Archive

Where railways have no water-borne competition they have charged shippers five times as much, computed on a cents per ton-mile basis, as they charged in areas where they had to compete.

From Time Magazine Archive

It is useful and necessary, and plays somewhat the same part in economic 905 investigation as ton-mile statistics do in the administration of a railway.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 10 "Echinoderma" to "Edward" by Various