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Tables 2-9 and 2-9M: U.S. Hazardous Materials Shipments by Transportation Mode: 1997

More than one-half of the hazardous material shipped from a location in the United States goes by truck. Ton-miles of hazardous materials transportation is nearly equal for truck, rail, and water modes, however, because rail and water shipments tend to be longer than those by truck

Table 2-9 (standard units)
Table in Excel format

Transportation mode Value
$Billion
Value
Percent
Tons
(Millions)
Tons
Percent
Tons-miles
(Billions)
Tons-miles
Percent
All modes, total466.4100.01565.2100.0263.8100.0
Single modes, total452.797.11541.798.5258.998.1
Truck1298.263.9869.855.674.928.4
Truck1
For-hire
134.328.8336.421.545.217.1
Truck1
Private2
160.734.5522.733.428.810.9
Rail33.37.196.66.274.728.3
Water27.05.8143.29.168.225.9
Air8.61.80.1Z0.1Z
Pipeline385.718.4432.127.6SS
Multiple modes, total5.71.26.00.43.11.2
Parcel, U.S. Postal Service or courier2.90.60.1Z0.1Z
Other2.90.65.90.43.01.1
Unknown and other modes, total7.91.717.51.11.80.7

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.


Table 2-9M (metric units)
Table in Excel format

Transportation mode Value
$Billion
Value
Percent
Metric Tonnes
(Millions)
Metric Tonnes
Percent
Tonne-kilometers
(Billions)
Tonne-kilometers
Percent
TOTAL All modes, total466.4100.01,419.9100.0385.2100.0
Single modes, total452.797.11,398.698.5378.098.1
Truck1298.263.9789.155.6109.428.4
Truck1
For-hire
134.328.8305.121.566.017.1
Truck1
Private2
160.734.5474.233.442.110.9
Rail33.37.187.76.2109.128.3
Water27.05.8129.99.199.625.9
Air8.61.80.1Z0.1Z
Pipeline385.718.4392.027.6SS
Multiple modes, total5.71.25.50.44.51.2
Parcel, U.S. Postal Service or courier2.90.60.1Z0.1Z
Other2.90.65.3<14.41.1
Unknown and other modes, total7.91.715.81.12.70.7

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

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, 1997 Economic Census, Transportation, 1997 Commodity Flow Survey, Hazardous Materials (Washington, DC: December 1999), table 1.

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