Freight Transportation
- Freight transportation is described in the Transportation Statistics Annual Report and Freight Facts and Figures, and measured in selected tables of National Transportation Statistics.
- For the latest freight statistics, visit our Freight Indicators page.
- BTS has an extensive freight data program, including:
- Freight Transportation Services Index – a monthly indicator of for-hire freight transportation activity
- Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) – annual estimates and forecasts of tonnage, value, and ton-miles of freight shipments by regions of origin and destination, commodity type, and mode
- Commodity Flow Survey – quinquennial survey of freight shipments that is the foundation of the FAF, providing greater detail for selected commodities
- TransBorder Freight Data – monthly statistics on the value of freight by commodity type, origin, destination, border crossing, and mode for movements across the Canadian and Mexican borders
- Border Crossing Data – monthly number of truck crossings by border location
- Airline cargo carried between airports
- Tank Car Data on the use of various types of railroad tank cars for transporting flammable materials and the anticipated replacement of older tank cars with new rolling stock that meets enhanced safety standards
- A map of the National Multimodal Freight Network
- Port Performance Freight Statistics – annual statistics on the capacity and throughput of the top 50 ports by tonnage, container traffic, and dry bulk, updated continuously by port as data become available
- Goods Movement Within the U.S. Supply Chain – Imports and exports from the Port of Baltimore halted when the container ship Dali allided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024.
- BTS is only one of several sources of freight data.
- The National Transportation Library repository includes research reports, policy documents, and historical materials related to freight transportation, as well as a Freight Data Dictionary.