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Tables 2-13 and 2-13M: U.S. Hazardous Materials Shipments by Transportation Mode: 2002

Trucks move more than one-half of all hazardous materials shipped from a location in the United States. However, truck ton-miles of hazardous shipments account for a much smaller share, about one-third of all ton-miles, because such shipments travel relatively short distances. By contrast, rail accounts for only 5 percent of shipments by weight but 22 percent by ton-miles.

Table 2-13 (standard units)
Table in Excel format

Transportation mode Value
$Billion
Value
Percent
Tons
Millions
Tons
Percent
Ton-miles
Billions
Ton-miles
Percent
Average miles
per shipment
All modes, total660.2100.02,191.5100.0326.7100.0136
Single modes, total644.597.62,158.598.5311.995.5105
Truck1419.663.61,159.552.9110.233.786
Truck1
For-hire
189.828.8449.520.565.119.9285
Truck1
Private2
226.734.3702.232.044.113.538
Rail31.34.7109.45.072.122.1695
Water46.97.1228.210.470.621.6S
Air1.60.20.10.0030.10.032,080
Pipeline3145.022.0661.430.2SSS
Multiple modes, total9.61.518.70.912.53.8849
Parcel, U.S. Postal Service or Courier4.30.60.20.010.10.04837
Other5.40.818.50.812.43.81,371
Unknown and other modes, total6.10.914.20.62.30.757

Key: S = data are not published because of high sampling variability or other reasons.

1Truck as a single mode includes shipments that went by private truck only, for-hire truck only, or a combination of both.
2Private truck refers to a truck operated by a temporary or permanent employee of an establishment or the buyer/receiver of the shipment.
3Excludes most shipments of crude oil.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics and U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, 2002 Economic Census, Transportation, 2002 Commodity Flow Survey, Hazardous Materials (Washington, DC: December 2004), table 1a.


Table 2-13M (metric units)
Table in Excel format

Transportation mode Value
$Billion
Value
Percent
Metric Tonnes
Millions
Metric Tonnes
Percent
Tonne-kilometers
Billions
Tonne-kilometers
Percent
Average
kilometers per shipment
TOTAL all modes660.2100.01,988.1100.0477.0100.0219
Single modes, total644.597.61,958.298.5455.495.5169
Truck1419.663.61,051.952.9160.833.7138
Truck1
For-hire
189.828.8407.820.595.119.9459
Truck1
Private2
226.734.3637.032.064.413.561
Rail31.34.799.25.0105.222.11,118
Water46.97.1207.010.4103.121.6S
Air1.60.20.10.0030.10.033,347
Pipeline3145.022.0600.030.2SSS
Multiple modes, total9.61.517.00.918.23.81,366
Parcel, U.S. Postal Service or courier4.30.60.20.010.20.041,347
Other5.40.816.80.818.13.82,206
Unknown and other modes, total6.10.912.90.63.40.792

Key: S = data are not published because of high sampling variability or other reasons.

1Truck as a single mode includes shipments that went by private truck only, for-hire truck only, or a combination of both.
2Private truck refers to a truck operated by a temporary or permanent employee of an establishment or the buyer/receiver of the shipment.
3Excludes most shipments of crude oil.

Note: 1 ton = 0.91 metric tonne; 1 ton-mile = 1.46 tonne-kilometer.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics and U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, 2002 Economic Census, Transportation, 2002 Commodity Flow Survey, Hazardous Materials (Washington, DC: December 2004), table 1a.

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