Value of Shipments by Transportation Mode: 2012, 2015, and 2045
(Billions of 2012 dollars)
Dataset Table:
| 2012 | 2012 | 2012 | 2012 | 2015 | 2015 | 2015 | 2015 | 2045 | 2045 | 2045 | 2045 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Domestic | Exports2 | Imports2 | Total | Domestic | Exports2 | Imports2 | Total | Domestic | Exports2 | Imports2 | |
| Total | 17,805 | 14,058 | 1,532 | 2,215 | 19,258 | 15,072 | 1,699 | 2,487 | 37,080 | 22,499 | 6,474 | 8,106 |
| Truck | 11,011 | 10,333 | 367 | 311 | 11,718 | 10,994 | 382 | 342 | 18,735 | 16,270 | 1,247 | 1,218 |
| Rail | 569 | 417 | 59 | 93 | 617 | 451 | 62 | 104 | 1,058 | 652 | 153 | 253 |
| Water | 617 | 274 | 71 | 272 | 636 | 304 | 99 | 233 | 1,021 | 345 | 272 | 405 |
| Air, air & truck | 1,044 | 138 | 434 | 472 | 1,194 | 152 | 466 | 576 | 5,133 | 330 | 2,449 | 2,354 |
| Multiple modes & mail | 3,275 | 1,752 | 573 | 949 | 3,599 | 1,875 | 658 | 1,065 | 9,152 | 3,404 | 2,262 | 3,485 |
| Pipeline | 1,250 | 1,143 | 9 | 97 | 1,410 | 1,295 | 10 | 105 | 1,656 | 1,498 | 15 | 144 |
| Other & unknown | 40 | 1 | 17 | 22 | 83 | 1 | 21 | 61 | 325 | 0 | 76 | 248 |
Notes:
Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding. The 2015 data are provisional estimates that are based on selected modal and economic trend data. All truck, rail, water, and pipeline movements that involve more than one mode, including exports and imports that change mode at international gateways, are included in multiple modes & mail to avoid double counting. As a consequence, rail and water totals in this table are less than those reported in other published sources.
1Data do not include imports and exports that pass through the United States from a foreign origin to a foreign destination by any mode.
Description:
The value of freight moved is expected to increase faster than the weight, rising from $1,050 per ton in 2012 to $1,463 per ton in 2045 when controlling for inflation. Exports at $1,773 per ton and imports at $1,950 per ton are higher than domestic shipments at $940 per ton in 2012. Exports and imports accounted for 11.8 percent of the tons and 21.0 percent of the value in 2012 and are forecast to make up an even greater share of freight moving throughout the United States in the future, reaching 17.5 percent of the tons and 39.3 percent of the value by 2045.
Source:
U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Bureau of Transportation Statistics, and USDOT, Federal Highway Administration, Freight Analysis Framework, version 4.2, 2016.