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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Table 2a. Shipment Characteristics by Total Modal Activity for the United States: 2007

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Table 2a. Shipment Characteristics by Total Modal Activity for the United States: 2007

[Estimates are based on final data from the 2007 Commodity Flow Survey. Because of rounding, estimates may not be additive]

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Mode of transportation1 2007 Ton-miles2
(millions)		 2007 Average miles per shipment Ton-miles CV3 Average miles per shipment CV
All modes 3,344,663 610 3.6 2.5
Truck 1,351,531 203 1.4 4.4
Rail 1,549,557 852 7.7 4.6
Shallow draft 208,611 217 10.0 9.9
Great Lakes 30,835 426 27.9 9.2
Deep draft 92,060 1,431 17.1 6.9
Air (included truck and air) 4,425 1,080 9.6 2.5
Pipeline 4 S S S S
Parcel, U.S.P.S. or courier 27,852 971 3.0 2.3
Other and unknown modes 33,510 112 9.3 12.7

KEY: S = Estimate does not meet publication standards because of high sampling variability or poor response quality.

1 Estimates represent activity for a given mode across single and multiple mode shipments. For example, "Truck" ton-miles includes total ton-miles for shipments moving only by truck plus ton-miles for truck segments of multiple mode shipments.
2 Ton-miles estimates are based on estimated distances traveled along a modeled transportation network.
3 Coefficient of Variation.
4 Estimates exclude shipments of crude petroleum.

NOTES: Value-of-shipment estimates are reported in current prices. Estimated measures of sampling variability for each estimate known as coefficients of variation (CV) are also provided in these tables. More information on sampling error, confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, sample design, and definitions may be found at http://www.bts.gov/cfs.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 Economic Census: Transportation Commodity Flow Survey, December 2009.