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Freight Facts and Figures 2008

Tables 2-4 and 2-4M. Hazardous Materials Shipments by Transportation Mode: 2002

Trucks move more than one-half of all hazardous materials shipped from within 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 of ton miles.

Table 2-4 (standard units)

Table in Excel format

Transportation mode Value
$ Billion
Value
Percent
Tons
(Millions)
Tons
Percent
Ton miles
(Billions)
Ton miles
Percent

Average distance
per shipment
(miles)

All modes, total 660.2 100.0 2,191.5 100.0 326.7 100.0 136
Single modes, total 644.5 97.6 2,158.5 98.5 311.9 95.5 105
Truck1 419.6 63.6 1,159.5 52.9 110.2 33.7 86
For-hire 189.8 28.8 449.5 20.5 65.1 19.9 285
Private2 226.7 34.3 702.2 32.0 44.1 13.5 38
Rail 31.3 4.7 109.4 5.0 72.1 22.1 695
Water 46.9 7.1 228.2 10.4 70.6 21.6 S
Air 1.6 0.2 0.1 0.003 0.1 0.03 2,080
Pipeline3 145.0 22.0 661.4 30.2 S S S
Multiple modes, total 9.6 1.5 18.7 0.9 12.5 3.8 849
Parcel, U.S. Postal Service, or Courier 4.3 0.6 0.2 0.01 0.1 0.04 837
Other 5.4 0.8 18.5 0.8 12.4 3.8 1,371
Unknown and other modes, total 6.1 0.9 14.2 0.6 2.3 0.7 57

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:

Numbers and percents may not add to totals due to rounding.

Source:

U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics and U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, 2002 Commodity Flow Survey, Hazardous Materials (Washington, DC: December 2004), table 1a, available at www.bts.gov/publications/commodity_flow_survey/2002/hazardous_materials/ as of September 23, 2008.

 

Table 2-4M (metric units)

Table in Excel format

Transportation mode Value
US$ Billion
Value
Percent
Metric
tonnes
(Millions)
Metric
tonnes
Percent
Tonne
kilometers
(Billions)
Tonne
kilometers
Percent
Average distance
per shipment
(kilometers)
TOTAL all modes 660.2 100.0 1,988.1 100.0 477.0 100.0 219
Single modes, total 644.5 97.6 1,958.2 98.5 455.4 95.5 169
Truck1 419.6 63.6 1,051.9 52.9 160.8 33.7 138
For-hire 189.8 28.8 407.8 20.5 95.1 19.9 459
Private2 226.7 34.3 637.0 32.0 64.4 13.5 61
Rail 31.3 4.7 99.2 5.0 105.2 22.1 1,118
Water 46.9 7.1 207.0 10.4 103.1 21.6 S
Air 1.6 0.2 0.1 Z 0.1 Z 3,347
Pipeline3 145.0 22.0 600.0 30.2 S S S
Multiple modes, total 9.6 1.5 17.0 0.9 18.2 3.8 1,366
Parcel, U.S. Postal Service, or courier 4.3 0.6 0.2 Z 0.2 Z 1,347
Other 5.4 0.8 16.8 0.8 18.1 3.8 2,206
Unknown and other modes, total 6.1 0.9 12.9 0.6 3.4 0.7 92

Key: S = data are not published because of high sampling variability or other reasons; Z = zero or less than 1 unit of measure.

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 metric tonne = 1.1 short tons; 1 tonne kilometer = 0.7 ton-miles. Numbers and percents may not add to totals due to rounding.

Source:

U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics and U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, 2002 Commodity Flow Survey, Hazardous Materials (Washington, DC: December 2004), table 1a, available at www.bts.gov/publications/commodity_flow_survey/2002/hazardous_materials/ as of September 23, 2008.

 

 


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