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, total | 466.4 | 100.0 | 1565.2 | 100.0 | 263.8 | 100.0 |
| Single modes, total | 452.7 | 97.1 | 1541.7 | 98.5 | 258.9 | 98.1 |
| Truck1 | 298.2 | 63.9 | 869.8 | 55.6 | 74.9 | 28.4 |
| Truck1 For-hire | 134.3 | 28.8 | 336.4 | 21.5 | 45.2 | 17.1 |
| Truck1 Private2 | 160.7 | 34.5 | 522.7 | 33.4 | 28.8 | 10.9 |
| Rail | 33.3 | 7.1 | 96.6 | 6.2 | 74.7 | 28.3 |
| Water | 27.0 | 5.8 | 143.2 | 9.1 | 68.2 | 25.9 |
| Air | 8.6 | 1.8 | 0.1 | Z | 0.1 | Z |
| Pipeline3 | 85.7 | 18.4 | 432.1 | 27.6 | S | S |
| Multiple modes, total | 5.7 | 1.2 | 6.0 | 0.4 | 3.1 | 1.2 |
| Parcel, U.S. Postal Service or courier | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 | Z | 0.1 | Z |
| Other | 2.9 | 0.6 | 5.9 | 0.4 | 3.0 | 1.1 |
| Unknown and other modes, total | 7.9 | 1.7 | 17.5 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 0.7 |
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, total | 466.4 | 100.0 | 1,419.9 | 100.0 | 385.2 | 100.0 |
| Single modes, total | 452.7 | 97.1 | 1,398.6 | 98.5 | 378.0 | 98.1 |
| Truck1 | 298.2 | 63.9 | 789.1 | 55.6 | 109.4 | 28.4 |
| Truck1 For-hire | 134.3 | 28.8 | 305.1 | 21.5 | 66.0 | 17.1 |
| Truck1 Private2 | 160.7 | 34.5 | 474.2 | 33.4 | 42.1 | 10.9 |
| Rail | 33.3 | 7.1 | 87.7 | 6.2 | 109.1 | 28.3 |
| Water | 27.0 | 5.8 | 129.9 | 9.1 | 99.6 | 25.9 |
| Air | 8.6 | 1.8 | 0.1 | Z | 0.1 | Z |
| Pipeline3 | 85.7 | 18.4 | 392.0 | 27.6 | S | S |
| Multiple modes, total | 5.7 | 1.2 | 5.5 | 0.4 | 4.5 | 1.2 |
| Parcel, U.S. Postal Service or courier | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 | Z | 0.1 | Z |
| Other | 2.9 | 0.6 | 5.3 | <1 | 4.4 | 1.1 |
| Unknown and other modes, total | 7.9 | 1.7 | 15.8 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 0.7 |
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.
