August 2014

U.S. Freight on the Move: Highlights From the 2012 

Commodity Flow Survey Preliminary Data

by Michael Margreta, Chester Ford, and Ryan Grube

Special Report

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

According to preliminary estimates from the 2012 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS), nearly 11.7 billion tons of 

freight, valued at $13.6 trillion, was transported about 3.3 

trillion ton-miles in 2012 by shippers in manufacturing, 

wholesale trade, and mining in the United States1 (see box 

A for description of the CFS).

Said another way, on a typical day in 2012, 32.0 million 

tons of goods, valued at $37.3 billion, moved nearly 9.1 billion ton-miles2

 on the Nation’s transportation network.

1

 Preliminary data tables 1 through 6 from the 2012 Commodity Flow Survey 

are available online at: http://www.bts.gov/publications/commodity_flow_survey/

preliminary_tables_december_2013/index.html

2

 A ton-mile is defined as 1 ton of freight transported 1 mile.

Box A

The Commodity Flow Survey (CFS)

The 2012 CFS, a sample survey of 102,565 shippers sponsored 

by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) in partnership 

with the Census Bureau, provides a detailed, multimodal 

picture of national freight flows by the manufacturing, 

wholesale trade, and mining sectors. The survey is the only 

publicly available source of national commodity flow data for 

the highway mode. CFS data are collected every 5 years as 

a component of the national Economic Census and provide a 

benchmark on the value, tonnage, ton-miles, distance shipped, 

and mode used to transport commodities. Previous surveys 

were conducted in 1993, 1997, 2002, and 2007. Final CFS 

data are scheduled for release in December 2014. Analysis and 

research utilizing CFS data are used to make decisions in the 

public and private sectors involving policy, infrastructure, and 

the economy.

Table 1: Value, Tonnage, and Ton-Miles of U.S. Shipments by Mode of Transport, Percent of Total: 2012

Transportation mode

Value

(million $) 

Percent 

of total

Tons

(thousands) 

Percent 

of total

Ton–miles

(millions) 

Percent 

of total

Average 

miles per 

shipment

All modes 13,625,059 100 11,695,463 100 3,319,666 100 586

Truck 10,038,086 74 8,190,126 70 1,264,346 38 216

Rail 455,114 3 1,851,276 16 1,477,623 45 811

Water 280,916 2 510,654 4 208,316 6 842

Air (includes truck to/from airport) 397,445 3 4,676 – 6,341 – 1,229

Pipeline 607,227 4 720,067 6 NA NA 56

Parcel, USPS, or courier 1,578,261 12 26,747 − 20,581 1 879

Multiple modes 265,980 2 321,037 3 290,171 9 NA

Other and unknown modes 2,030 0 70,880 1 279 – 2

NOTE: A percent below 0.5 percent is marked by a dash (–) in the table.

NA = not available due to high sampling variability or poor response quality.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2012 Commodity Flow Survey, preliminary data table 1, December 2013.
BTS Special Report

2

How Did Freight Move?

By Truck3

Trucking is the predominant mode in both value and 

tonnage of CFS shipments. In the 2012 CFS preliminary 

data, truck shipments accounted for:

• about $10.0 trillion worth of goods and 73.7 percent of 

the total value of all shipments (figure 1);

• about 8.2 billion tons of goods and 70.0 percent of all 

tonnage (figure 2);

• about 1.3 trillion ton-miles, representing approximately 

38.1 percent of all ton-miles (figure 3); and

• an average distance of 216 miles per shipment (see 

table 1).

The CFS distinguishes between two categories of truck: 

for-hire4 and private.5 For-hire trucks handled more than 

3

 The type of truck shipments under discussion is single mode; that is, the 

shipments were not transported in combination with any other mode, such as rail, 

water, or air.

4

 For-hire means that the truck was operated on behalf of, or by, a nongovernmental business entity that provides transport services to its customers for 

compensation.

5

 Private means that the truck is not available to any other business entity, nor the 

public, and is owned and/or operated by an individual, group, or non-governmental 

business entity for its own purposes or benefits.

half the tonnage and two-thirds the total value of goods 

moved by truck (table 2). Based on past surveys, truck 

moved the most total tonnage, largely comprised of gravel 

and crushed stone, gasoline, natural sands, fuel oils, and 

most mixed freight.

Goods moved by private truck typically travel much shorter distances than goods carried by for-hire trucks. The average miles per shipment by private truck in the 2012 CFS 

was 46 miles, compared to 489 miles by for-hire truck.

By Rail6

In the 2012 CFS, rail shipments accounted for:

• $455.1 billion worth of goods, 3.3 percent of the total 

value of shipments by all modes (figure 1);

6

 The type of rail shipments under discussion is single mode; that is, the shipments 

were not transported in combination with any other mode, such as truck, water, or 

air.

Box B

How to Interpret Value of Shipments

As defined by the Commodity Flow Survey (CFS), the 

value of shipments is the net selling dollar value of the 

entire shipment, exclusive of freight charges and excise 

taxes. The CFS total value of shipments and the U.S. Gross 

Domestic Product (GDP) provide different measures of 

economic activity and as such, are not directly comparable. 

Three important differences can be identified between value 

of shipments and GDP:

1. GDP captures goods and services produced by all 

establishments located in the United States, while 

the CFS measures goods shipped from a subset of 

establishments.

2. GDP measures the value of goods produced and of 

services performed, while the CFS measures the value 

of goods shipped.

3. GDP counts only the value added at each step in the 

production of a product, whereas the CFS determines 

the value of materials used in the production or 

manufacturing of a product, as well as the value of 

the finished product itself. Therefore, the value of a 

commodity may be counted by the CFS more than once 

during its distribution cycle.

Table 2: Value and Tonnage of U.S. Highway 

 Shipments: 2012

Highway 

transportation 

mode

Value

(million $)

Percent

of total

Tons

(thousands)

Percent

of total

Total1 10,038,086 100 8,190,126 100

For-hire truck 6,609,327 66 4,390,790 54

Private truck 3,428,759 34 3,799,335 46

1

 Results are for highway shipments that were single mode and not transported by 

any other mode.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 

2012 Commodity Flow Survey, preliminary data table 1, December 2013.

Box C

Mileage Calculations for the Commodity Flow 

Survey

A critical measurement calculated from the CFS data is 

the mileage traveled by each shipment, which is used in 

estimating modal ton-miles of freight. Consequently, 

the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) developed 

GeoMiler*, an innovative software tool to calculate the 

distance traveled by mode from origin to destination of any 

given shipment for which valid and consistent information 

was provided by the CFS respondent. If for any reason 

modal mileage calculations are not obtainable for a given 

shipment, GeoMiler sets pre-arranged codes that explain the 

problem for possible correction. This new tool for distance 

estimation uses Geographic Information System (GIS) 

technology and a robust spatial data network to create a 

unique and effective routing tool.

*

 A detailed explanation of the development of GeoMiler may be found in BTS 

Technical Report TR – 001, How Freight Moves: Estimating Mileage and 

Routes Using an Innovative GIS Tool, June 2007.
BTS Special Report

3

• almost 1.9 billion tons of goods, about 15.8 percent of 

the total tonnage (figure 2);

• about 1.5 trillion ton-miles, 44.5 percent of all tonmiles (figure 3); and

• an average distance of 811 miles per shipment, showing the long-haul nature of the rail mode.

Based on past surveys, single-mode rail traffic is largely 

composed of heavy, bulk shipments, such as cereal 

grains, metallic ores, coal, and chemicals.

By Water7

Whether traveling on inland waterways, deep sea waterways, or the Great Lakes, waterborne shipments in the 

2012 CFS preliminary data accounted for:

• about $280.9 billion worth of goods (table 3), 2.1 percent of the total value of all shipments (figure 1);

• approximately 510.7 million tons of goods, 4.4 percent 

of all tonnage (figure 2);

• about 208.3 billion ton-miles, 6.3 percent of all tonmiles (figure 3); and

• an average distance of 842 miles per shipment.

Based on past surveys, bulk and low-value commodities 

are primarily transported by rail and water modes. In 2012 

7

 The type of water shipments under discussion is single mode; that is, the shipments 

were not transported in combination with any other mode, such as truck, rail, or 

air. Estimates in 2012 are not comparable to those in 2007 because waterborne 

mileages in the 2012 CFS were calculated using a different methodology.

Figure 1: Value of U.S. Shipments by Mode of 

 Transport, Percent of Total: 2012

Truck

(74%)

Rail

(3%)

Water

(2%)

Multiple modes

(2%)

Parcel, USPS, 

or courier

(12%)

Pipeline

(4%)

Air

(3%)

Other and 

unknown

(0%)

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2012 Commodity Flow Survey, preliminary data table 1, December 2013.

Figure 3: Ton-Miles of U.S. Shipments by Mode 

 of Transport, Percent of Total: 2012

Truck

(38%)

Rail

(44%)

Water

(6%)

Multiple modes

(9%)

Parcel

(1%)

Pipeline

(0%)

Air

(0%)

Other and 

unknown 

(2%)

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2012 Commodity Flow Survey, preliminary data table 1, December 2013.

Figure 2: Tonnage of U.S. Shipments by Mode of 

 Transport, Percent of Total: 2012

Truck

(70%)

Rail

(16%)

Water

(4%)

Multiple

modes

(3%)

Parcel, USPS, 

or courier

(0%) Pipeline

(6%)

Air

(0%)

Other and 

unknown

(1%)

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2012 Commodity Flow Survey, preliminary data table 1, December 2013.
BTS Special Report

4

water shipments were valued on average at $550 per 

ton and rail shipments at $246 per ton (table 4), the two 

lowest modal values per ton in the 2012 CFS. Among the 

major commodity groups shipped in bulk via waterway are 

grains, gravel and crushed stone, coal, petroleum products, chemicals, and fertilizers.

The 2012 CFS improved the routing process to better 

reflect freight movement by water. In 2007 shipments that 

traveled by both river and ocean were primarily tabulated 

under “Other Multiple Modes.” For 2012 shipments were 

assigned to their dominant waterway segment, and a new 

category of “Multiple Waterways” was created for shipments that are truly carried on both inland and deep sea 

vessels.

By Other Modes

In 2012 demand remained steady for time-sensitive delivery modes, such as air and parcel,8

 capable of providing 

8

 For the 2007 CFS, an air shipment was defined as weighing 100 pounds or more. 

Otherwise, the mode was changed to parcel on air shipments with weight less than 

100 pounds. However, for the 2012 CFS, air shipments were accepted regardless 

of weight, and a parcel shipment was defined as weighing 150 pounds or less; 

otherwise, the mode was changed to for-hire truck on parcel shipments with weight 

more than 150 pounds.

delivery within three business days worldwide.9 The combined value of air and parcel shipments in 2012 totaled 

approximately $2.0 trillion, about 14.5 percent of total CFS 

value.

Based on past surveys, commodities shipped by air and 

parcel are generally high-value and low-weight: electronic 

and other electrical equipment, precision instruments, and 

pharmaceutical products.

To illustrate the high-value but low-weight relationship, 

the value-per-ton ratio for air shipments (including truck 

drayage to/from the airport) was $84,997 per ton, while 

the value-per-ton ratio for parcel shipments was $59,007 

per ton (table 4).

Which Industries Were Shipping Goods?

Shipments by manufacturing industries accounted for 41.9 

percent of total value (table 5, figure 4) and 37.0 percent 

of total weight (table 5, figure 5), as surveyed by the CFS. 

9

 FedEx Annual Report 2013, annual report online, pages 17-21, at

http://investors.fedex.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=73289&p=irol-reportsannual

and UPS Annual Report 2012, annual report online, pages 22-24, at

http://www.annualreports.com/Click/14356?_SID_=201402261434031f8d090bd5cd

13bb313314be231b7e8a

Table 3: Value and Tonnage of U.S. Waterborne Shipments: 2012

Waterborne transportation mode

Value

(million $)

Percent of 

total

Tons

(thousands)

Percent of 

total

Total1 280,916 100 510,654 100

Inland water 202,245 72 374,186 73

Great Lakes 443 0 23,518 5

Deep sea 54,999 20 63,268 12

Multiple waterways2 23,229 8 49,682 10

1

 Results are for waterway shipments that were only water mode and not transported by any other mode.

2

 There are three basic types of waterways shown in the Commodity Flow Survey: inland water, deep sea, and Great Lakes. 

Those waterway-only shipments that traveled on both inland water and deep sea are classified in Multiple Waterways.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2012 Commodity Flow Survey, preliminary 

data table 1, December 2013.

Table 4: Value per Ton of U.S. Freight Shipments by Mode of Transportation: 2012

Transportation mode

Value

(million $)

Tons

(thousands)

Value per ton1

(current dollars)

All modes (includes multiple modes) 13,625,059 11,695,463 $1,165

Single mode 11,778,787 11,276,799 $1,045

Truck 10,038,086 8,190,126 $1,226

Rail 455,114 1,851,276 $246

Water 280,916 510,654 $550

Air (includes truck and air) 397,445 4,676 $84,997

Pipeline 607,227 720,067 $843

Parcel, USPS, or courier 1,578,261 26,747 $59,007

1

 Value per ton is defined as the average worth in current dollars of 1 ton of freight. This measure is computed by dividing the total value by 

the tons of freight originated.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2012 Commodity Flow Survey, preliminary data table 1, 

December 2013.
BTS Special Report

5

Shipments by wholesalers accounted for 42.0 percent 

of total value and 30.9 percent of total weight. Auxiliary 

establishments10 shipped approximately $1.7 trillion of 

freight, accounting for 12.4 percent of total value.

What Were the Leading Goods11 Shipped by 

Value, Tonnage, and Ton-miles?

The top two commodity groups by value at $1.4 trillion 

and $1.2 trillion, respectively, were mixed freight12 and 

10 Auxiliary establishments are those specifically involved in warehousing and 

storage, or as corporate, subsidiary, and regional managing offices.

11 Commodity goods in the CFS are classified by Standard Classification of Transported 

Goods (SCTG) codes. Developed as a joint effort of the United States and Canada, 

the SCTG is a hierarchical coding system that groups commodities by transportation 

characteristics (volume, revenue, value, origin, and destination), similarities of goods, and 

industry-of-origin considerations, regardless of mode(s) of transport.

12 Mixed freight includes items (food also) for grocery and convenience stores, 

supplies and food for restaurants and fast-food chains, hardware or plumbing 

supplies, and office supplies.

fuels (gasoline, aviation turbine fuel, and ethanol, table 

6). These two commodity groups accounted for about 

18.8 percent of the total value of goods transported. 

Other leading commodity groups by value were electronic 

and electrical equipment, motorized and other vehicles, 

pharmaceutical products, and machinery, which totaled 

approximately $3.5 trillion or 25.8 percent of the total 

value of goods transported. When combined, the top six 

commodity groups accounted for about 44.6 percent of 

the total CFS value (table 6).

By weight, the top commodity group was gravel and 

crushed stone, accounting for nearly 1.8 billion tons or 

about 15.2 percent of total tonnage in the 2012 CFS (table 

7). Gravel and crushed stone shipments were transported 

over relatively short distances, with an average mileage 

per shipment of 34 miles. Gravel and crushed stone shipments had a low bulk value of only $11 per ton.

Table 5: Value and Tonnage of U.S. Shipments by Industry, Percent of Total: 2012

Industry

Value 

(million $) 

Percent of 

total

Tons 

(thousands) 

Percent of 

total

All industries 13,625,059 100 11,695,463 100

Mining (except Oil and Gas) 108,982 1 3,231,752 28

Manufacturing 5,702,546 42 4,327,439 37

Wholesale trade 5,719,690 42 3,613,366 31

Auxiliary industries 1,686,696 12 458,900 4

Other industries 407,145 3 64,006 0

NOTE: Industry categories are based on North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, from 2 up to 6 digits. Mining encompasses those establishments with NAICS code 212; Manufacturing is those with NAICS codes 31 thru 33; Wholesale Trade is those 

with NAICS code 42; Auxiliary Industries are those with NAICS codes 4931 and 551114; Other Industries encompass establishments with 

any other NAICS codes.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2012 Commodity Flow Survey, preliminary data table 5, 

December 2013.

Figure 4: Value of U.S. Shipments by Industry, 

 Percent of Total: 2012

Manufacturing

(42%)

Wholesale trade

(42%)

Mining

(except oil and gas)

(1%)

Auxiliary industries

(12%)

Other industries

(3%)

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2012 Commodity Flow Survey, preliminary data table 5, December 2013.

Figure 5: Tonnage of U.S. Shipments by 

 Industry, Percent of Total: 2012

Manufacturing

(37%)

Wholesale trade

(31%)

Mining

(except oil and gas)

(28%)

Auxiliary industries

(4%)

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2012 Commodity Flow Survey, preliminary data table 5, December 2013.
BTS Special Report

6

In 2012 other leading commodity groups by weight 

included coal and fuels (gasoline, aviation turbine fuel, 

and ethanol). When combined, the top three commodity groups accounted for nearly 4.4 billion tons, or 37.6 

percent of total tonnage.

Among the commodity groups, coal generated the most 

ton-miles (table 8). A total of 1.4 billion tons of coal was 

moved 982.5 billion ton-miles, which was about 29.6 

percent of the total ton-miles recorded in the 2012 CFS. 

The primary U.S. coal deposits are found in the Powder 

River basin of Wyoming and the states of Kentucky, West 

Virginia, and Pennsylvania.13

13 Goode’s World Atlas, 22nd Edition, published by Rand McNally & Company, July 

2009.

Table 6: Value by Two-Digit Commodity Code: 2012

SCTG code1 and commodity description

Value2

(million $)

All commodities 13,625,059

Top 15 commodities

43: Mixed freight 1,388,304

17: Gasoline, aviation turbine fuel, and ethanol 1,172,425

35: Electronic, electrical equipment & components 974,160

36: Motorized and other vehicles including parts 934,536

21: Pharmaceutical products 849,809

34: Machinery 756,701

18: Fuel oils 642,774

07: Other prepared foodstuffs, fats, oils 597,943

24: Plastics and rubber 540,008

30: Textiles, leather, and such articles 527,595

40: Miscellaneous manufactured products 505,270

32: Base metal in primary, semi-finished forms 467,724

33: Articles of base metal 360,808

38: Precision instruments and apparatus 343,949

23: Chemical products & preparations, nec3 330,765

1

 Based on 2-digit code for Standard Classification of Transported Goods (SCTG).

2

 Horizontal lines and color codes are used within the table to group the commodities. Commodities 

within the same group, or the same color code, cannot be determined to be different statistically from one 

another. However, from top to bottom, a change in grouping, or a change in color, denotes a statistical 

decrease in level of value, based on statistical significance testing at the 95 percent confidence level. 3

 nec = not elsewhere classified.

NOTE: The Commodity Flow Survey measures commodity traffic in forty-one 2-digit SCTG commodity 

groups. The top commodity groups by value are presented in this table.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2012 Commodity 

Flow Survey, preliminary data table 6, December 2013.
BTS Special Report

7

Table 7: Tonnage by Two-Digit Commodity Code: 2012

SCTG code1 and commodity description

Tons2

(thousands)

All commodities 11,695,463

Top 15 commodities

12: Gravel and crushed stone 1,779,590

15: Coal 1,366,054

17: Gasoline, aviation turbine fuel, and ethanol 1,249,882

31: Non-metallic mineral products 861,110

18: Fuel oils 757,539

07: Other prepared foodstuffs, fats, oils 522,932

19: Other coal and petroleum products, nec3 455,891

02: Cereal grains 453,503

11: Natural sands 407,170

43: Mixed freight 370,781

20: Basic chemicals 362,437

32: Base metal in primary, semi-finished forms 299,691

26: Wood products 292,485

41: Waste and scrap 226,733

03: Other agricultural products 224,771 1

 Based on 2-digit code for Standard Classification of Transported Goods (SCTG).

2

 Horizontal lines and color codes are used within the table to group the commodities. Commodities 

within the same group, or the same color code, cannot be determined to be different statistically from one 

another. However, from top to bottom, a change in grouping, or a change in color, denotes a statistical 

decrease in level of value, based on statistical significance testing at the 95 percent confidence level. 3

 nec = not elsewhere classified.

NOTE: The Commodity Flow Survey measures commodity traffic in forty-one 2-digit SCTG commodity groups. The top commodity groups by tonnage are presented in this table.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2012 Commodity 

Flow Survey, preliminary data table 6, December 2013.

Table 8: Ton-Miles by Two-Digit Commodity Code: 2012

SCTG code1 and commodity description

Ton-miles2

(millions)

All commodities 3,319,666

Top 15 commodities

15: Coal 982,517

07: Other prepared foodstuffs, fats, oils 180,437

02: Cereal grains 162,647

20: Basic chemicals 147,018

18: Fuel oils 126,919

03: Other agricultural products 119,528

32: Base metal in primary, semi-finished forms 109,460

12: Gravel and crushed stone 108,022

17: Gasoline, aviation turbine fuel, and ethanol 97,614

24: Plastics and rubber 94,590

31: Non-metallic mineral products 92,791

19: Other coal and petroleum products, nec3 78,773

43: Mixed freight 77,239

26: Wood products 74,867

27: Pulp, newsprint, paper, and paperboard 71,945 1

 Based on 2-digit code for Standard Classification of Transported Goods (SCTG).

2

 Horizontal lines and color codes are used within the table to group the commodities. Commodities 

within the same group, or the same color code, cannot be determined to be different statistically from one 

another. However, from top to bottom, a change in grouping, or a change in color, denotes a statistical 

decrease in level of value, based on statistical significance testing at the 95 percent confidence level. 3

 nec = not elsewhere classified.

NOTE: The Commodity Flow Survey measures commodity traffic in forty-one 2-digit SCTG commodity groups. The top commodity groups by ton-miles are presented in this table.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2012 Commodity 

Flow Survey, preliminary data table 6, December 2013.
BTS Special Report

8

About this report For related BTS data and publications

For assistance or questions about this or other BTS 

reports, please use the following:

call 1-800-853-1351

e-mail answers@dot.gov or cfs@dot.gov

visit http://www.bts.gov or http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/

publications/commodity_flow_survey/

This article was a collaborative effort on the part of the 

following from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics 

(BTS): Michael Margreta, Survey Statistician; Chester Ford, Transportation Industry Analyst; and Ryan 

Grube, Transportation Analyst from MacroSys Research and Technology. BTS is a component of DOT’s 

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and 

Technology.

Throughout this report, comparisons are made between different entities (numbers, groups, classifications, categories, etc. developed from a sample), and 

an increase or decrease is cited as a percentage 

change or statistical difference. Such a change is only 

given if statistically significant at the 5 percent level. 

The 5 percent level means that there is a 5 percent 

chance that a statistically significant difference will be 

claimed between two different entities from the sample 

when, in fact, no such difference truly exists in the 

entire population.