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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 1a. Hazardous Material Shipment Characteristics by Mode of Transportation for the United States: 2012

Monday, July 13, 2015

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(Estimates are based on data from the 2012 Commodity Flow Survey. Because of rounding, estimates may not be additive)

Mode of transportation Value Tons Ton-miles (1) Average miles per shipment
2012
(million dollars)
Percent of total 2012
(thousands)
Percent of total 2012
(millions)
Percent of total
All modes 2,334,425 100.0 2,580,153 100.0 307,524 100.0 114
Single modes 2,304,743 98.7 2,552,868 98.9 275,628 89.6 68
Truck (2) 1,466,021 62.8 1,531,405 59.4 96,559 31.4 56
 For-hire truck 870,893 37.3 882,288 34.2 62,018 20.2 150
 Private truck 595,128 25.5 649,117 25.2 34,541 11.2 33
Rail 79,222 3.4 110,988 4.3 84,850 27.6 808
Water 217,816 9.3 283,561 11.0 54,902 17.9 212
 Inland water 170,595 7.3 226,349 8.8 27,636 9.0 S
 Great Lakes 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0
 Deep sea 35,570 1.5 45,001 1.7 18,359 6.0 854
 Multiple waterways 11,651 0.5 12,210 0.5 8,907 2.9 S
Air (includes truck and air) 4,380 0.2 261 Z 271 0.1 1,120
Pipeline (3) 537,304 23.0 626,652 24.3 S S S
Multiple modes 29,682 1.3 27,285 1.1 31,896 10.4 654
Parcel, U.S. Postal Service, or courier 10,294 0.4 305 Z 178 0.1 650
Truck and rail 13,338 0.6 16,992 0.7 16,577 5.4 954
Truck and water S S S S S S 1,181
Rail and water 2,474 0.1 4,589 0.2 1,377 0.4 S
Other multiple modes 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0
Other modes 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0

KEY: S = Withheld because estimate did not meet publication standards.

Z = Rounds to zero.

(1) Ton-miles estimates are based on estimated distances traveled along a modeled transportation network. See “Mileage Calculations” section for additional information.

(2) “Truck” as a single mode includes shipments that were made by only private truck or only for-hire truck.

(3) Estimates for pipeline exclude shipments of crude petroleum (SCTG 16).

NOTES: Value-of-shipments estimates have not been adjusted for price changes. Appendix B tables provide estimated measures of sampling variability. The Introduction and appendixes give information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, sample design and definitions. Links to this information on the Internet may be found at <www.census.gov/econ/cfs>.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 Economic Census: Transportation Commodity Flow Survey, December 2014.