Table 1a. Shipment Characteristics by Mode of Transportation for the United States: 2012
(Estimates are based on data from the 2012 Commodity Flow Survey. Because of rounding, estimates may not be additive)
| Mode of transportation | Value | Tons | Ton-miles (1) | Average miles per shipment | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2012 (million dollars) |
Percent of total |
2012 (thousands) |
Percent of total |
2012 (millions) |
Percent of total | ||
| All modes | 13,852,143 | 100.0 | 11,299,409 | 100.0 | 2,969,506 | 100.0 | 630 |
| Single modes | 11,900,364 | 85.9 | 10,905,518 | 96.5 | 2,697,418 | 90.8 | 262 |
| Truck (2) | 10,132,229 | 73.1 | 8,060,166 | 71.3 | 1,247,717 | 42.0 | 227 |
| For-hire truck | 6,504,636 | 47.0 | 4,298,693 | 38.0 | 1,050,942 | 35.4 | 508 |
| Private truck | 3,627,592 | 26.2 | 3,761,472 | 33.3 | 196,775 | 6.6 | 58 |
| Rail | 473,070 | 3.4 | 1,628,537 | 14.4 | 1,211,481 | 40.8 | 805 |
| Water | 301,554 | 2.2 | 575,996 | 5.1 | 192,866 | 6.5 | 908 |
| Inland water | 218,927 | 1.6 | 424,542 | 3.8 | 118,742 | 4.0 | 275 |
| Great Lakes | 424 | Z | 31,403 | 0.3 | 10,959 | 0.4 | 347 |
| Deep sea | 59,878 | 0.4 | 72,987 | 0.6 | 22,130 | 0.7 | 1,157 |
| Multiple waterways | 22,325 | 0.2 | 47,064 | 0.4 | 41,035 | 1.4 | 1,034 |
| Air (includes truck and air) | 450,575 | 3.3 | 4,845 | Z | 5,810 | 0.2 | 1,295 |
| Pipeline (3) | 542,936 | 3.9 | 635,975 | 5.6 | S | S | S |
| Multiple modes | 1,950,753 | 14.1 | 357,047 | 3.2 | 271,832 | 9.2 | 922 |
| Parcel, U.S. Postal Service, or courier | 1,688,242 | 12.2 | 28,490 | 0.3 | 22,716 | 0.8 | 922 |
| Truck and rail | 224,833 | 1.6 | 213,814 | 1.9 | 169,524 | 5.7 | 988 |
| Truck and water | 29,035 | 0.2 | 56,720 | 0.5 | 48,568 | 1.6 | 1,562 |
| Rail and water | 7,976 | 0.1 | 55,570 | 0.5 | 29,170 | 1.0 | 1,073 |
| Other multiple modes | 668 | Z | 2,452 | Z | 1,853 | 0.1 | S |
| Other modes | 1,026 | Z | 36,844 | 0.3 | 256 | Z | S |
KEY: S = Withheld because estimate did not meet publication standards.
Z = Rounds to zero.
(1) Ton-miles estimates are based on estimated distances traveled along a modeled transportation network. See “Mileage Calculations” section for additional information.
(2) “Truck” as a single mode includes shipments that were made by only private truck or only for-hire truck.
(3) Estimates for pipeline exclude shipments of crude petroleum (SCTG 16).
NOTES: Value-of-shipments estimates have not been adjusted for price changes. Appendix B tables provide estimated measures of sampling variability. The Introduction and appendixes give information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, sample design and definitions. Links to this information on the Internet may be found at <www.census.gov/econ/cfs>.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 Economic Census: Transportation Commodity Flow Survey, December 2014.