Table B-1b. Estimated Measures of Reliability for Shipment Characteristics by Mode of Transportation for the United States: 2012 and 2007
(Estimates are based on data from the 2012 and 2007 Commodity Flow Surveys)
| Mode of transportation | Value | Tons | Ton-miles (1) | Average miles per shipment | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coefficient of variation of number | Standard error of percent change | Coefficient of variation of number | Standard error of percent change | Coefficient of variation of number | Standard error of percent change | Coefficient of variation of number | Standard error of percent change | |||||
| 2012 | 2007 | 2012 | 2007 | 2012 | 2007 | 2012 | 2007 | |||||
| All modes | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 4.3 |
| Single modes | 1.2 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 5.6 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 6.2 |
| Truck (2) | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 6.7 |
| For-hire truck | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 4.3 | 5.2 | 5.7 |
| Private truck | 1.8 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 16.4 | 3.6 | 16.9 |
| Rail | 5.4 | 6.8 | 9.4 | 8.0 | 6.2 | 8.9 | 9.1 | 8.7 | 11.4 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 5.9 |
| Water | 16.5 | 11.0 | 52.1 | 13.2 | 8.1 | 22.1 | 14.9 | 11.5 | 23.1 | 12.9 | 13.1 | 32.2 |
| Inland water | 19.9 | 12.8 | 56.8 | 16.4 | 9.4 | 23.4 | 17.3 | 13.2 | 22.0 | 21.3 | 40.3 | 86.9 |
| Great Lakes | 25.0 | S | S | 19.5 | 23.8 | 54.3 | 23.3 | 22.9 | 51.9 | 7.9 | 15.3 | 9.1 |
| Deep sea | 23.5 | 17.5 | 76.1 | 25.2 | 12.3 | 48.1 | 30.1 | 23.9 | 25.8 | 10.4 | 12.0 | 19.9 |
| Multiple waterways | 32.9 | X | X | 25.8 | X | X | 22.9 | X | X | 10.5 | X | X |
| Air (includes truck and air) | 4.5 | 8.2 | 16.8 | 7.2 | 10.4 | 17.0 | 13.4 | 9.6 | 21.3 | 8.8 | 2.2 | 9.0 |
| Pipeline (3) | 9.3 | 6.6 | 15.5 | 11.0 | 6.5 | 12.5 | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| Multiple modes | 1.3 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 7.0 | 5.3 | 5.5 | 7.1 | 5.1 | 5.7 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 3.3 |
| Parcel, U.S. Postal Service, or courier | 1.4 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 3.3 |
| Truck and rail | 5.5 | 5.6 | 9.4 | 7.2 | 6.2 | 8.9 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 6.3 | 8.6 |
| Truck and water | 15.4 | 12.5 | 9.8 | 22.7 | 15.3 | 10.7 | 38.5 | 15.6 | 20.5 | 7.3 | 9.0 | 12.7 |
| Rail and water | 13.0 | 19.2 | 13.3 | 20.1 | 26.9 | 34.0 | 26.2 | 27.6 | 23.6 | 25.6 | 13.1 | 16.0 |
| Other multiple modes | 33.3 | 13.3 | 0.5 | 36.6 | 8.7 | 0.8 | 32.2 | 11.4 | 1.4 | S | 14.0 | S |
| Other modes | 31.8 | 7.8 | 0.1 | 18.1 | 14.0 | 3.1 | 22.7 | 9.2 | 0.2 | S | 13.0 | S |
KEY: S = Withheld because estimate did not meet publication standards.
X = Not applicable.
(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: 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/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.