1

1

Transportation of 

U.S. Grains

A Modal Share Analysis 

1978-2016 Update

Agricultural 

Marketing

Service

Updated

April 2019
Photo credits: USDA

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Preferred Citation

Chang, Kuo-Liang “Matt”, Peter Caffarelli, Jesse Gastelle, and Adam Sparger. Transportation 

of U.S. Grains: A Modal Share Analysis, April 2019. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural 

Marketing Service. Web. <http://dx.doi.org/10.9752/TS049.04-2019>
i

Transportation of 

U.S. Grains

A Modal Share Analysis

1978-2016 Update

USDA Economists

Kuo-Liang “Matt” Chang

Peter Caffarelli

Jesse Gastelle

Adam Sparger

Transportation Services Division

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
ii

Abstract

This report provides a breakout by mode of corn, wheat, soybeans, sorghum, and barley movements to 

either domestic markets or U.S. ports for export between 1978 and 2016. It is the eleventh update of an 

initial modal share study completed in 1992. The purpose of this series of reports is to provide the latest 

information about changes and trends in the relative competitiveness and efficiency among the different 

transportation modes in moving grain. Estimates of the tonnages (and shares) of grain railed, barged, and 

trucked are developed from a variety of secondary sources. This data can be used to identify trends and 

implications on transportation from factors, such as changes in production volumes and commodity mix, 

as well as changes in the relative demand for U.S. grain for domestic purposes versus export.
iii

Contents

Abstract .......................................................................................................................ii

Introduction..................................................................................................................1

Methodology .................................................................................................................2

Corn Modal Shares ........................................................................................................8

Wheat Modal Shares ....................................................................................................10

Soybean Modal Shares .................................................................................................12

Sorghum Modal Shares ................................................................................................14

Barley Modal Shares ....................................................................................................16

Appendix A: Modal Share Methodology ..........................................................................18

Appendix B: FIPS Regions Included in Rail Export Tonnages .............................................20

Photo Credits ..............................................................................................................21
iv
1

Introduction

The purpose of this analysis is to examine trends in the type of transportation used to move grains grown 

for the food and feed industry.1 Grains produced in the United States move to domestic and foreign 

markets through a well-developed transportation system. Barge, rail, and truck transportation facilitate a 

highly competitive market that bridges the gap between U.S. grain producers and domestic and foreign 

consumers. 

Barges, railroads, and trucks often compete head-to-head to supply transportation for grains. Despite a 

high degree of competition in some markets, these modes also complement each other. Before a bushel 

of grain reaches its final destination, it has often been transported by two or more modes. This balance 

between competition and integration provides grain shippers with a highly efficient, low-cost system of 

transportation. The competitiveness of U.S. grains in the world market and the financial well-being of U.S. 

grain producers depends upon this competitive balance. A highly competitive and efficient transportation 

system results in lower shipping costs, smaller marketing margins for middlemen, and more competitive 

export prices. Such efficiencies also result in lower food costs for U.S. consumers and higher market prices 

for U.S. producers. 

This analysis of the transportation of the final movement of grain, by mode, provides information about 

changes in market share among the modes. Over several years, such work helps identify critical trends 

affecting the transportation of grain. It also provides a framework to assess public policies that influence 

the development and success of the Nation’s transportation infrastructure. Public policies that promote an 

efficient grain transportation system also promote strong U.S. agricultural and rural economies. 

Note to readers regarding past versions of this report: This update presents new data for 2015 and 2016 

as well as minor revisions to previous years.

1 For this analysis, it is assumed that corn, wheat, soybeans, sorghum, and barley represent all grain movements.
2

Any effort to measure tonnages of grain moved by mode of transport is limited by the absence of 

information on the total volume of truck movements. Accurate data exist for barge and rail freight 

tonnages and commodities, but not for trucks. Other analyses of grain movements have relied extensively 

on survey data to overcome this obstacle. This analysis uses the Waterborne Commerce Statistics of the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to calculate tonnages of barged grain and uses the Carload Waybill Sample 

from the Surface Transportation Board to estimate the amount of railed grain. Trucking data are derived 

from known grain production data, as compared to the estimates of the railed and barged volumes of 

grain. Estimating these modal grain volumes and modal shares on an annual basis provides a data series 

that tracks changes in grain transportation over time.

In this analysis, the term “modal share” describes that portion of the total tonnages of grain moved by 

each mode of transport—barge, rail, or truck. These shares, expressed as percentages, were determined 

by mode for particular types of grains and movements. Grains identified for this analysis were corn, 

wheat, soybeans, sorghum, and barley. The 1992 and 1998 versions of this study also included rye 

and oats. Rye and oats were taken out of the calculations for this report because of unreliability due to 

small volumes, which total less than 1 percent of all grain movements. Transport modes are categorized 

according to the final movement going to domestic markets or ports for export.

The estimates of modal tonnages and shares are based on the amount of grain moved to commercial 

markets. Truck tonnages are estimated by subtracting barge and rail tonnages from total tonnages 

transported. Figure 1 shows how modal shares are estimated. For each crop, total movements are 

determined first, and then exports are subtracted from the total to get domestic movements. Total rail and 

barge volumes are subtracted from total movements to get truck movements. A more detailed description 

of the methodology is covered in Appendix A.

Methodology

Figure 1: Estimating modal tonnages and shares

Total 

Movements*

Domestic 

Truck

Domestic 

Barge

Domestic 

Rail

Export 

Truck

Export 

Barge

Export 

Rail

Total 

Truck

Total 

Barge

Total 

Rail

Domestic 

Movements

Export 

Movements

(=)

(-) 

 KEY

 Subtract

 Equals

 *Total movement equals total 

 disappearance less the amount of 

 grain grown and used on farm.

(=)

(-)

(=) (=)

(=)

(=)

(=)

(-)

(-)

(-)

(-)

(-)

(-) (-)

(-)
3

Figure 2: Total grain movements to domestic and export markets, 1978-2016

Figure 3: U.S. grain shipments by commodity, 1978-2016

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

19781980198219841986198819901992199419961998200020022004200620082010201220142016

Million Tons

Year

Exports Domestic Total

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1978198419901996200220082014

Million Tons

Year

Corn Wheat

Soybeans Barley

Sorghum Total
4

Table 1: Tonnages of U.S. grains transported, by type of crop and type of movement, 

2000-2016

Year

Corn Wheat Soybeans Sorghum Barley All grains

1,000 tons

Total

2000 228,886 69,751 82,406 14,492 7,172 402,706

2001 237,224 64,508 86,566 12,420 6,608 407,326

2002 233,986 58,665 82,311 11,485 5,846 392,292

2003 235,694 64,768 73,625 10,985 5,535 390,607

2004 241,129 66,878 85,645 10,885 5,386 409,923

2005 260,160 62,372 81,925 10,293 5,334 420,085

2006 284,980 57,895 89,274 9,284 4,887 446,318

2007 290,163 67,470 88,782 11,602 5,689 463,705

2008 302,243 66,847 88,832 12,419 5,174 475,516

2009 302,403 56,895 97,860 11,319 4,685 473,163

2010 336,597 61,780 96,186 9,220 4,651 508,434

2011 321,787 68,045 93,110 7,592 4,456 494,991

2012 308,008 66,591 91,043 6,698 4,538 476,878

2013 295,065 70,691 101,668 7,800 4,648 479,871

2014 350,176 62,616 115,262 12,553 4,784 545,390

2015 353,472 57,188 117,606 13,847 4,649 546,763

2016 365,260 62,090 125,618 13,732 4,366 571,066

Export

2000 52,957 31,780 29,876 7,037 1,128 122,779

2001 53,032 29,410 31,910 6,720 944 122,016

2002 52,329 27,580 31,331 6,085 542 117,867

2003 47,607 29,406 26,597 5,546 686 109,841

2004 53,373 34,728 32,915 5,089 370 126,475

2005 50,629 30,413 28,196 5,062 839 115,140

2006 63,429 26,778 33,495 5,205 439 129,347

2007 63,438 37,058 34,765 6,326 832 142,419

2008 58,874 33,812 38,379 5,813 601 137,478

2009 52,749 25,153 44,971 4,164 132 127,169

2010 54,819 31,174 45,149 4,143 189 135,474

2011 50,371 36,540 40,958 3,728 218 131,815

2012 35,265 30,197 39,826 1,991 213 107,492

2013 26,200 36,626 49,157 2,492 217 114,692

2014 55,305 28,676 55,273 7,870 369 147,493

2015 48,923 23,933 58,268 10,595 336 142,056

2016 61,918 27,176 65,210 7,566 109 161,979

Domestic

2000 175,929 37,971 52,529 7,455 6,044 279,928

2001 184,192 35,098 54,657 5,700 5,664 285,311

2002 181,657 31,085 50,979 5,399 5,304 274,425

2003 188,087 35,362 47,028 5,439 4,850 280,766

2004 187,756 32,150 52,731 5,796 5,015 283,449

2005 209,532 31,959 53,729 5,231 4,495 304,945

2006 221,551 31,117 55,779 4,078 4,447 316,971

2007 226,725 30,412 54,017 5,276 4,856 321,287

2008 243,369 33,035 50,453 6,606 4,574 338,038

2009 249,654 31,743 52,889 7,155 4,553 345,994

2010 281,777 30,607 51,036 5,077 4,462 372,960

2011 271,416 31,505 52,153 3,864 4,238 363,176

2012 272,743 37,015 51,217 4,707 4,324 370,006

2013 268,865 34,260 52,511 5,308 4,431 365,374

2014 294,872 33,940 59,989 4,682 4,414 397,897

2015 304,550 33,255 59,338 3,252 4,313 404,707

2016 303,342 34,914 60,409 6,165 4,258 409,087
5

Figure 5: U.S. grain modal shares, 1978-2016

Figure 4: U.S. corn, soybeans, and wheat production, 1978-2016

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

197819791980198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016

Percentage of total grain 

movements

Year

Rail Barge Truck

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

197819791980198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016

Billion Bushels

Year

Corn

Soybeans

Wheat
6

Table 2: Tonnages and modal shares for all U.S. grains, 2000–2016

Year & 

type of 

movement

Mode of transport

Rail Barge Truck

1,000 tons Percent 1,000 tons Percent 1,000 tons Percent

Total

2000 129,824 32 72,197 18 200,686 50

2001 133,233 33 71,808 18 202,286 50

2002 129,915 33 74,267 19 188,110 48

2003 130,356 33 68,396 18 191,855 49

2004 136,317 33 67,274 16 206,333 50

2005 141,130 34 57,668 14 221,287 53

2006 158,287 35 60,484 14 227,547 51

2007 152,423 33 65,750 14 245,533 53

2008 149,061 31 56,118 12 270,337 57

2009 142,663 30 62,689 13 267,812 57

2010 151,251 30 65,428 13 291,754 57

2011 138,159 28 59,789 12 297,042 60

2012 125,993 26 60,426 13 290,459 61

2013 115,107 24 56,764 12 308,000 64

2014 132,234 24 74,966 14 338,190 62

2015 135,734 25 72,063 13 338,966 62

2016 141,140 25 81,235 14 348,691 61

Export

2000 46,067 38 67,556 55 9,156 7

2001 46,951 38 67,189 55 7,875 6

2002 43,565 37 68,506 58 5,796 5

2003 41,784 38 62,776 57 5,282 5

2004 48,015 38 61,729 49 16,730 13

2005 53,797 47 52,981 46 8,361 7

2006 59,673 46 56,617 44 13,057 10

2007 61,366 43 61,613 43 19,440 14

2008 67,300 49 51,765 38 18,413 13

2009 59,077 46 59,095 46 8,997 7

2010 67,409 50 61,371 45 6,694 5

2011 53,092 40 55,877 42 22,845 17

2012 41,471 39 55,603 52 9,798 9

2013 39,984 35 51,854 45 22,660 20

2014 52,500 36 71,045 48 23,948 16

2015 49,182 35 68,157 48 24,717 17

2016 63,014 39 77,253 48 21,712 13

Domestic

2000 83,757 30 4,641 2 191,530 68

2001 86,282 30 4,619 2 194,410 68

2002 86,350 31 5,761 2 182,314 66

2003 88,572 32 5,620 2 186,574 66

2004 88,302 31 5,544 2 189,602 67

2005 87,332 29 4,686 2 212,926 70

2006 98,614 31 3,867 1 214,490 68

2007 91,057 28 4,137 1 226,093 70

2008 81,761 24 4,353 1 251,924 75

2009 83,586 24 3,594 1 258,814 75

2010 83,843 22 4,057 1 285,060 76

2011 85,067 23 3,912 1 274,197 75

2012 84,523 23 4,823 1 280,660 76

2013 75,123 21 4,910 1 285,340 78

2014 79,734 20 3,921 1 314,243 79

2015 86,552 21 3,907 1 314,249 78

2016 78,126 19 3,982 1 326,979 80
7

Table 3: Modal Share Summary: 2016 and 5-year average, percent*

Mode/

Year

Corn Wheat Soybeans All grains

Exports Domestic All 

corn Exports Domestic All wheat Exports Domestic All soybeans Exports Domestic All grains

Rail

2016 35 16 19 62 51 56 30 16 23 39 19 25

5-yr avg 29 19 20 55 56 56 31 14 22 37 22 25

Barge

2016 55 1 10 29 2 14 54 3 29 48 1 14

5-yr avg 58 1 8 33 2 17 50 3 25 47 1 13

Truck

2016 10 84 71 9 48 31 16 81 47 13 80 61

5-yr avg 12 81 72 12 42 28 20 83 53 16 77 62

*Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.
8

Corn Modal Shares

Table 4: Tonnages and modal shares for U.S. corn, 2000–2016

Year & 

type of 

movement

Mode of transport

Rail Barge Truck

1,000 tons Percent 1,000 tons Percent 1,000 tons Percent

Total

2000 68,984 30 37,831 17 122,071 53

2001 70,773 30 38,864 16 127,588 54

2002 71,488 31 41,598 18 120,900 52

2003 69,775 30 36,488 15 129,431 55

2004 74,766 31 37,302 15 129,062 54

2005 75,261 29 31,739 12 153,161 59

2006 87,314 31 34,587 12 163,079 57

2007 78,650 27 37,407 13 174,106 60

2008 75,652 25 30,088 10 196,503 65

2009 69,803 23 32,147 11 200,453 66

2010 74,909 22 33,134 10 228,553 68

2011 72,059 22 29,434 9 220,294 68

2012 64,514 21 22,331 7 221,162 72

2013 53,808 18 18,421 6 222,836 76

2014 66,701 19 35,072 10 248,403 71

2015 69,153 20 30,572 9 253,747 72

2016 69,839 19 35,729 10 259,692 71

Export

2000 15,213 29 35,150 66 2,594 5

2001 14,676 28 35,904 68 2,452 5

2002 13,157 25 38,125 73 1,048 2

2003 13,207 28 32,872 69 1,528 3

2004 16,055 30 33,974 64 3,344 6

2005 18,380 36 28,778 57 3,472 7

2006 24,735 39 31,941 50 6,753 11

2007 20,478 32 34,689 55 8,270 13

2008 24,615 42 27,457 47 6,802 12

2009 19,801 38 30,013 57 2,936 6

2010 22,070 40 31,174 57 1,575 3

2011 17,237 34 27,331 54 5,802 12

2012 10,108 29 19,825 56 5,332 15

2013 7,034 27 16,019 61 3,147 12

2014 14,822 27 33,624 61 6,859 12

2015 14,116 29 29,256 60 5,551 11

2016 21,582 35 34,187 55 6,150 10

Domestic

2000 53,771 31 2,681 2 119,476 68

2001 56,097 30 2,960 2 125,136 68

2002 58,331 32 3,473 2 119,852 66

2003 56,568 30 3,616 2 127,903 68

2004 58,711 31 3,328 2 125,717 67

2005 56,881 27 2,961 1 149,689 71

2006 62,579 28 2,646 1 156,326 71

2007 58,171 26 2,718 1 165,836 73

2008 51,037 21 2,631 1 189,701 78

2009 50,002 20 2,135 1 197,517 79

2010 52,839 19 1,960 1 226,978 81

2011 54,822 20 2,102 1 214,492 79

2012 54,406 20 2,506 1 215,830 79

2013 46,774 17 2,402 1 219,689 82

2014 51,879 18 1,448 0 241,544 82

2015 55,037 18 1,317 0 248,196 81

2016 48,258 16 1,542 1 253,542 84
9

Figure 6: U.S. corn domestic shipments by mode, 2000–2016

Figure 7: U.S. corn export shipments by mode, 2000–2016

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Million Tons

Year

Rail Barge Truck

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Million Tons

Year

Rail Barge Truck
10

Wheat Modal Shares

Table 5: Tonnages and modal shares for U.S. wheat, 2000-2016

Year & 

type of 

movement

Mode of transport

Rail Barge Truck

1,000 tons Percent 1,000 tons Percent 1,000 tons Percent

Total

2000 35,380 51 12,391 18 21,980 32

2001 35,809 56 11,534 18 17,165 27

2002 34,523 59 9,876 17 14,267 24

2003 36,900 57 10,180 16 17,688 27

2004 40,924 61 11,937 18 14,017 21

2005 44,180 71 8,668 14 9,524 15

2006 44,735 77 8,767 15 4,393 8

2007 47,777 71 10,515 16 9,178 14

2008 45,670 68 8,872 13 12,305 18

2009 41,094 72 8,462 15 7,339 13

2010 44,017 71 8,471 14 9,293 15

2011 43,417 64 9,844 14 14,784 22

2012 35,025 53 10,814 16 20,753 31

2013 36,290 51 15,170 21 19,232 27

2014 33,527 54 10,055 16 19,034 30

2015 32,388 57 9,112 16 15,688 27

2016 34,522 56 8,445 14 19,123 31

Export

2000 17,934 56 11,975 38 1,871 6

2001 16,657 57 11,099 38 1,654 6

2002 16,966 62 9,367 34 1,247 5

2003 18,348 62 9,726 33 1,332 5

2004 21,439 62 11,370 33 1,919 6

2005 22,120 73 8,294 27 0 0

2006 18,212 68 8,566 32 0 0

2007 24,749 67 10,229 28 2,080 6

2008 24,509 72 8,428 25 875 3

2009 17,117 68 7,970 32 66 0

2010 22,369 72 8,013 26 792 3

2011 22,820 62 9,333 26 4,387 12

2012 16,474 55 10,126 34 3,597 12

2013 18,034 49 14,519 40 4,073 11

2014 15,710 55 9,437 33 3,529 12

2015 12,508 52 8,411 35 3,015 13

2016 16,728 62 7,887 29 2,562 9

Domestic

2000 17,446 46 416 1 20,109 53

2001 19,152 55 435 1 15,511 44

2002 17,556 56 509 2 13,020 42

2003 18,552 52 454 1 16,356 46

2004 19,485 61 566 2 12,099 38

2005 22,060 69 375 1 9,524 30

2006 26,524 85 200 1 4,393 14

2007 23,028 76 286 1 7,098 23

2008 21,161 64 444 1 11,430 35

2009 23,977 76 493 2 7,273 23

2010 21,647 71 458 1 8,501 28

2011 20,596 65 511 2 10,397 33

2012 18,551 50 688 2 17,776 48

2013 18,255 53 651 2 15,354 45

2014 17,818 52 617 2 15,505 46

2015 19,881 60 701 2 12,673 38

2016 17,794 51 558 2 16,561 47
11

Figure 8: U.S. wheat domestic shipments by mode, 2000–2016

Figure 9: U.S. wheat export shipments by mode, 2000-2016

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Million Tons

Year

Rail Barge Truck

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Million Tons

Year

Rail Barge Truck
12

Soybean Modal Shares

Year & 

type of 

movement

Mode of transport

Rail Barge Truck

1,000 tons Percent 1,000 tons Percent 1,000 tons Percent

Total

2000 17,257 21 20,174 24 44,974 55

2001 18,699 22 19,872 23 47,996 55

2002 16,550 20 21,399 26 44,362 54

2003 17,735 24 20,167 27 35,723 49

2004 15,029 18 17,053 20 53,564 63

2005 16,141 20 16,332 20 49,452 60

2006 19,862 22 16,221 18 53,191 60

2007 19,478 22 16,327 18 52,976 60

2008 20,899 24 16,326 18 51,607 58

2009 25,745 26 21,569 22 50,546 52

2010 26,778 28 23,472 24 45,935 48

2011 19,055 20 19,962 21 54,093 58

2012 23,281 26 26,604 29 41,158 45

2013 21,591 21 22,399 22 57,677 57

2014 24,472 21 28,590 25 62,200 54

2015 25,239 21 30,131 26 62,237 53

2016 29,315 23 36,825 29 59,479 47

Export

2000 8,591 29 18,665 62 2,620 9

2001 11,047 35 18,689 59 2,173 7

2002 9,477 30 19,642 63 2,212 7

2003 7,964 30 18,632 70 0 0

2004 8,496 26 15,412 47 9,007 27

2005 10,676 38 15,030 53 2,490 9

2006 13,541 40 15,240 45 4,714 14

2007 12,524 36 15,242 44 6,999 20

2008 14,492 38 15,089 39 8,798 23

2009 19,694 44 20,634 46 4,644 10

2010 20,484 45 21,864 48 2,801 6

2011 12,041 29 18,793 46 10,124 25

2012 14,598 37 25,124 63 104 0

2013 14,426 29 20,611 42 14,119 29

2014 17,231 31 26,791 48 11,251 20

2015 16,168 28 28,296 49 13,803 24

2016 19,693 30 34,968 54 10,549 16

Domestic

2000 8,666 16 1,510 3 42,354 81

2001 7,651 14 1,183 2 45,823 84

2002 7,072 14 1,758 3 42,150 83

2003 9,771 21 1,535 3 35,723 76

2004 6,533 12 1,641 3 44,556 84

2005 5,465 10 1,302 2 46,962 87

2006 6,321 11 982 2 48,476 87

2007 6,953 13 1,086 2 45,978 85

2008 6,407 13 1,237 2 42,809 85

2009 6,051 11 936 2 45,902 87

2010 6,294 12 1,608 3 43,134 85

2011 7,015 13 1,169 2 43,969 84

2012 8,683 17 1,480 3 41,054 80

2013 7,165 14 1,788 3 43,558 83

2014 7,241 12 1,799 3 50,949 85

2015 9,070 15 1,834 3 48,434 82

2016 9,622 16 1,857 3 48,930 81

Table 6: Tonnages and modal shares for U.S. soybeans, 2000-2016
13

Figure 11: U.S. soybean export shipments by mode, 2000-2016 

Figure 10: U.S. soybean domestic shipments by mode, 2000-2016

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Million Tons

Year

Rail Barge Truck

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Million Tons

Year

Rail Barge Truck
14

Sorghum Modal Shares

Year & 

type of 

movement

Mode of transport

Rail Barge Truck

1,000 tons Percent 1,000 tons Percent 1,000 tons Percent

Total

2000 4,626 32 1,322 9 8,545 59

2001 4,541 37 1,335 11 6,544 53

2002 4,100 36 1,225 11 6,160 54

2003 2,121 19 1,365 12 7,500 68

2004 2,334 21 852 8 7,698 71

2005 2,366 23 721 7 7,206 70

2006 3,407 37 730 8 5,147 55

2007 3,490 30 1,252 11 6,859 59

2008 3,779 30 634 5 8,006 64

2009 3,218 28 442 4 7,660 68

2010 2,886 31 315 3 6,019 65

2011 1,078 14 427 6 6,087 80

2012 653 10 577 9 5,468 82

2013 667 9 691 9 6,441 83

2014 4,873 39 1,046 8 6,633 53

2015 6,361 46 2,139 15 5,347 39

2016 5,127 37 225 2 8,379 61

Export

2000 3,650 52 1,317 19 2,070 29

2001 3,798 57 1,326 20 1,596 24

2002 3,578 59 1,218 20 1,289 21

2003 1,763 32 1,362 25 2,421 44

2004 1,776 35 852 17 2,460 48

2005 1,941 38 721 14 2,399 47

2006 2,886 55 730 14 1,590 31

2007 2,989 47 1,246 20 2,091 33

2008 3,253 56 622 11 1,938 33

2009 2,372 57 440 11 1,352 32

2010 2,307 56 309 7 1,526 37

2011 776 21 420 11 2,532 68

2012 120 6 485 24 1,386 70

2013 316 13 660 26 1,515 61

2014 4,528 58 1,033 13 2,309 29

2015 6,117 58 2,130 20 2,349 22

2016 4,903 65 212 3 2,451 32

Domestic

2000 976 13 5 0 6,474 87

2001 743 13 8 0 4,949 87

2002 522 10 6 0 4,871 90

2003 358 7 3 0 5,078 93

2004 558 10 0 0 5,238 90

2005 425 8 0 0 4,806 92

2006 521 13 0 0 3,557 87

2007 502 10 6 0 4,769 90

2008 527 8 11 0 6,068 92

2009 846 12 2 0 6,307 88

2010 579 11 5 0 4,493 88

2011 302 8 7 0 3,555 92

2012 534 11 92 2 4,082 87

2013 351 7 31 1 4,926 93

2014 345 7 13 0 4,324 92

2015 244 8 9 0 2,999 92

2016 224 4 13 0 5,928 96

Table 7: Tonnages and modal shares for U.S. sorghum, 2000-2016
15

Figure 13: U.S. sorghum export shipments by mode, 2000–2016

Figure 12: U.S. sorghum domestic shipments by mode, 2000–2016

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Million Tons

Year

Rail Barge Truck

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Million Tons

Year

Rail Barge Truck
16

Barley Modal Shares

Year & 

type of 

movement

Mode of transport

Rail Barge Truck

1,000 tons Percent 1,000 tons Percent 1,000 tons Percent

Total

2000 3,577 50 478 7 3,117 43

2001 3,412 52 204 3 2,992 45

2002 3,254 56 170 3 2,421 41

2003 3,826 69 196 4 1,513 27

2004 3,264 61 130 2 1,991 37

2005 3,182 60 207 4 1,944 36

2006 2,969 61 179 4 1,738 36

2007 3,028 53 247 4 2,413 42

2008 3,061 59 198 4 1,916 37

2009 2,803 60 68 1 1,814 39

2010 2,661 57 36 1 1,954 42

2011 2,550 57 123 3 1,784 40

2012 2,520 56 100 2 1,918 42

2013 2,751 59 83 2 1,814 39

2014 2,660 56 203 4 1,921 40

2015 2,593 56 109 2 1,947 42

2016 2,337 54 12 0 2,018 46

Export

2000 679 60 449 40 0 0

2001 773 82 171 18 0 0

2002 386 71 155 29 0 0

2003 502 73 183 27 0 0

2004 249 67 121 33 0 0

2005 680 81 159 19 0 0

2006 299 68 140 32 0 0

2007 626 75 206 25 0 0

2008 432 72 168 28 0 0

2009 93 70 39 30 0 0

2010 178 94 11 6 0 0

2011 218 100 0 0 0 0

2012 171 80 42 20 0 0

2013 173 80 44 20 0 0

2014 210 57 160 43 0 0

2015 272 81 64 19 0 0

2016 109 100 0 0 0 0

Domestic

2000 2,898 48 29 0 3,117 52

2001 2,639 47 33 1 2,992 53

2002 2,868 54 15 0 2,421 46

2003 3,323 69 13 0 1,513 31

2004 3,015 60 9 0 1,991 40

2005 2,502 56 48 1 1,944 43

2006 2,670 60 39 1 1,738 39

2007 2,402 49 41 1 2,413 50

2008 2,629 57 29 1 1,916 42

2009 2,711 60 29 1 1,814 40

2010 2,483 56 26 1 1,954 44

2011 2,332 55 123 3 1,784 42

2012 2,349 54 58 1 1,918 44

2013 2,578 58 39 1 1,814 41

2014 2,450 56 43 1 1,921 44

2015 2,320 54 45 1 1,947 45

2016 2,229 52 12 0 2,018 47

Table 8: Tonnages and modal shares for U.S. barley, 2000-2016
17

Figure 15: U.S. barley export shipments by mode, 2000–2016

Figure 14: U.S. barley domestic shipments by mode, 2000–2016

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Million Tons 

Year

Rail Barge Truck

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Million Tons 

Year

Rail Barge Truck
18

Modal shares are calculated for all grains and each grain type, based on the estimated modal tonnages. 

These modal shares are determined for total, export, and domestic movements.

Total Tonnages. The approach used to estimate modal tonnages and shares requires that total tonnages 

of grain transported to market be determined. It is also necessary to determine the portions of total 

tonnages transported to domestic and export markets. Total tonnages are defined as total disappearance 

minus grain that was grown and used on-farm. Total disappearance for this study is calculated using the 

ERS Wheat Outlook, Feed Outlook, and Oil Crop Outlook reports. These reports include marketing year 

supply and disappearance tables that list domestic use and exports. The Oil Crop Outlook lists these 

numbers by marketing year. The other two reports break the numbers down on a quarterly basis. To get 

disappearance numbers by calendar year, monthly totals are calculated from the marketing year data and 

added together into respective calendar year totals. 

Total Export. Total exports are calculated using export numbers reported in the ERS Outlook reports. 

Total Domestic. Total domestic tonnages are estimated by subtracting total export tonnages from 

total disappearance.

Grown and Used-on-Farm Totals. Grown and used-on-farm data are provided by ERS. These data 

are reported in percentages by year and commodity. Production numbers for each commodity are 

multiplied by the grown and used-on-farm percentages. Those numbers are then subtracted from total 

disappearance to get total transported grain tonnages. Grain grown and used on-farm must be deducted 

from total disappearance because it generates no commercial transportation demand.

Rail Total. Annual rail movements come from the STB Master Carload Waybill Sample. STB’s Waybill 

Sample is a stratified sample of carload waybills for terminated shipments by railroad carriers. The STB 

collects operating statistics on U.S. railroads, which can be used to estimate rail traffic volumes and 

railroad characteristics. Total tonnages are calculated using the billed weight in tons from the Waybill 

Sample and multiplying it by an expansion factor to estimate the tonnages for all grain movements by all 

railroads. Movements that originated and terminated in the same five-digit, Federal Information Processing 

Standards (FIPS) region are assumed to be short hauls, which would be double-counted and, thus, were 

deleted. 

Some grain is moved by a combination of rail and barge. Since this represents a relatively small amount 

of grain, these movements are not included in the rail calculations. Instead, they are counted in the 

barge movements—the final mode used to transport the grain. There are other instances in which grain 

shipments are rebilled from one railroad to another at terminal markets. Such a movement would be 

considered a double-count of grain movements. An attempt is made to minimize the rebilled movements. 

Again, as with the rail-to-barge movements, these types of shipments represent a small portion of total 

rail shipments.

Rail Export. Export regions are defined by five-digit FIPS codes and are listed in Appendix B. The regions 

chosen are based on methodology from the 1998 modal share report as those regions with ports in the 

Pacific Northwest, Atlantic Coast, and Gulf of Mexico. Rail exports to the Great Lakes are determined from 

grain delivery information at Duluth-Superior, MN, and Toledo, OH. Total tonnages exported are then 

calculated using the designated export regions. Movements that originated and terminated in the same 

five-digit FIPS region are assumed to be short hauls, which would be double-counted and, thus, were 

deleted. 

Appendix A: Modal Share Methodology
19

Rail Domestic. Domestic rail tonnages are estimated by subtracting export grain tonnages moved by rail 

from total grain tonnages moved by rail.

Barge Total. Annual barge movement data, which are collected and compiled by the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, are obtained from Waterborne Commerce of the United States. The categories used to calculate 

modal shares for barge are river shipping range (origin) and river receiving range (destination). Total 

movements are determined by summing the total of all receiving ranges. As explained in the Rail Total 

section above, when barge and rail are used in combination to ship grain, with barge being the final mode 

in the transportation route, only the barge movement is included. 

Barge Export. The following river receiving ranges are used to find barge export movements: Atlantic, 

Pacific, Central Gulf, East Gulf, and West Gulf. Any movement that is received into a port in the defined 

regions is determined to be an export movement. The receiving ranges are based on the 1998 report’s 

methodology. For that report, export barge modal shares were calculated using barge export tonnages 

based on internal grain and oilseed receipts reported on the inland waterways. Movements were defined 

as those to: 1) Kalama and Vancouver, WA, and Portland, OR, on the Columbia-Snake River system; 

2) Baton Rouge through New Orleans, LA, to the mouth of the passes on the Mississippi River system; 

3) Lake Charles, LA, on the Calcasieu River; 4) Mobile, AL, on the Tennessee-Tombigbee River system; 

5) Pascagoula, MS, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway; 6) Beaumont and Port Arthur, TX; 7) Galveston Bay 

(including Houston), TX; 8) Corpus Christi, TX, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway ports between Corpus 

Christi and the Mexican border; and 9) Hampton Roads and Norfolk, VA, on the Chesapeake Bay.

Barge Domestic. Domestic barge movements are calculated by subtracting export barge movements 

from total barge movements.

Truck Total. Total truck tonnages are estimated by subtracting total rail and total barge from total 

disappearance. The method for estimating truck grain tonnages and modal shares assumes that all 

barge and rail tonnages represent “long-haul” movements. “Short-haul” movements (farm-to-elevator) 

that originate on the farm are almost exclusively done by truck. Such farm-to-elevator movements 

are considered gathering movements. Unlike barge or rail movements that typically end at the point of 

domestic consumption or export, these truck movements represent only the first and shortest segment of 

the entire shipping route for grain. 

Truck Export. Truck export tonnages are estimated by subtracting rail export and barge export tonnages 

from total export tonnages.

Truck Domestic. Domestic truck tonnages are estimated by subtracting domestic rail and domestic barge 

tonnages from total domestic tonnages.
20

2

Appendix B: FIPS Regions Included in Rail 

Export Tonnages

State/country FIPS code County

Canada & Mexico 0 All areas

Alabama 1003 Baldwin

Alabama 1097 Mobile

Arizona 4023 Santa Cruz

California 6025 Imperial

California 6073 San Diego

Georgia 13051 Chatham

Georgia 13127 Glynn

Louisiana 22019 Calcasieu

Louisiana 22023 Cameron

Louisiana 22033 East Baton Rouge

Louisiana 22051 Jefferson

Louisiana 22063 Livingston

Louisiana 22071 Orleans

Louisiana 22075 Plaquemines

Louisiana 22089 St. Charles

Louisiana 22093 St. James

Louisiana 22095 St. John the Baptist

Louisiana 22121 West Baton Rouge

Minnesota 27137 St. Louis 

Mississippi 28045 Hancock

Mississippi 28047 Harrison

Mississippi 28059 Jackson

Ohio 39043 Erie

Ohio 39095 Lucas

Oregon 41009 Columbia

Oregon 41051 Multnomah

South Carolina 45019 Charleston

South Carolina 45053 Jasper

Texas 48061 Cameron

Texas 48141 El Paso

Texas 48167 Galveston

Texas 48201 Harris

Texas 48245 Jefferson

Texas 48323 Maverick

Texas 48355 Nueces

Texas 48361 Orange

Texas 48377 Presidio

Texas 48409 San Patricio

Texas 48479 Webb

Virginia 51710 Norfolk

Washington 53011 Clark

Washington 53015 Cowlitz

Washington 53033 King

Washington 53053 Pierce

Wisconsin 55031 Douglas

Wisconsin 55079 Milwaukee

22