Introduction

The 1993 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) is the most comprehensive effort to identify where and how goods are shipped in the United States since 1977. It measures the value and weight of commodities shipped by manufacturing, mining, wholesale trade, and selected retail and service industries. Prior surveys only measured shipments by manufacturing firms.

The CFS is undertaken through a partnership between the Bureau of Transportation Statistics in the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Bureau of the Census in the U.S. Department of Commerce. BTS provided funding and technical guidance. Census collected quarterly data, as part of its Economic Census, from approximately 200,000 business establishments in 1993. From this sample of establishments, commodity flows were estimated for a universe of approximately 800,000 businesses. Subsequent surveys are scheduled for 1997 and every five years thereafter.

CFS Coverage and Limitations

The CFS covers employer establishments that are located in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Surveyed establishments were selected by geographic location and industry. Each surveyed business reported on a sample of individual shipments made during a two-week period in each quarter of 1993. (See appendix C for a description of the survey methodology and sample design.) CFS data on individual shipments include total value and weight, commodity type, modes of transport, and domestic origin and destination. The CFS also reports on whether the commodity is shipped in containers and whether it is a hazardous material. In addition, a sample of firms provides information on the availability of onsite shipping facilities, access to shipping sites, and transportation equipment ownership and leasing data.

The 1993 CFS did not cover shipments of crude petroleum, which primarily affect data for pipeline and water transportation. Oak Ridge National Laboratory has estimated commodity flows for these two modes, which are noted in Table 1. Also, the survey excludes establishments classified in the Standard Industrial Classification as farms, forestry, fisheries, oil and gas extraction, governments, construction, transportation, households, foreign establishments, and some retail and service businesses. Furthermore, the CFS does not cover shipments originating in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories and possessions. Commodities that are shipped from a foreign location to another foreign destination, through the United States (e.g., from Canada to Mexico) are also excluded from the survey.