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:

To view Excel files, you can use the Microsoft Excel Viewer.