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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 4. Hazardous Versus Nonhazardous 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 Tons Ton-miles (1)
Total
(thousands)
Hazardous Nonhazardous Total
(thousands)
Hazardous Nonhazardous
2012
(thousands)
Percent of total 2012
(thousands)
Percent of total 2012
(millions)
Percent of total 2012
(millions)
Percent of total
All modes 11,299,409 2,580,153 22.8 8,719,256 77.2 2,969,506 307,524 10.4 2,661,982 89.6
Single modes 10,905,518 2,552,868 23.4 8,352,651 76.6 2,697,418 275,628 10.2 2,421,790 89.8
Truck (2) 8,060,166 1,531,405 19.0 6,528,761 81.0 1,247,717 96,559 7.7 1,151,158 92.3
 For-hire truck 4,298,693 882,288 20.5 3,416,405 79.5 1,050,942 62,018 5.9 988,924 94.1
 Private truck 3,761,472 649,117 17.3 3,112,355 82.7 196,775 34,541 17.6 162,234 82.4
Rail 1,628,537 110,988 6.8 1,517,549 93.2 1,211,481 84,850 7.0 1,126,631 93.0
Water 575,996 283,561 49.2 292,435 50.8 192,866 54,902 28.5 137,964 71.5
 Inland water 424,542 226,349 53.3 198,192 46.7 118,742 27,636 23.3 91,106 76.7
 Great Lakes 31,403 0 0.0 31,403 100.0 10,959 0 0.0 10,959 100.0
 Deep sea 72,987 45,001 61.7 27,985 38.3 22,130 18,359 83.0 3,771 17.0
 Multiple waterways 47,064 12,210 25.9 34,854 74.1 41,035 8,907 21.7 32,127 78.3
Air (includes truck and air) 4,845 261 5.4 4,583 94.6 5,810 271 4.7 5,540 95.3
Pipeline (3) 635,975 626,652 98.5 9,323 1.5 S S S S S
Multiple modes 357,047 27,285 7.6 329,762 92.4 271,832 31,896 11.7 239,936 88.3
Parcel, U.S. Postal Service, or courier 28,490 305 1.1 28,185 98.9 22,716 178 0.8 22,538 99.2
Truck and rail 213,814 16,992 7.9 196,822 92.1 169,524 16,577 9.8 152,947 90.2
Truck and water 56,720 S S 51,322 90.5 48,568 S S 34,805 71.7
Rail and water 55,570 4,589 8.3 50,981 91.7 29,170 1,377 4.7 27,793 95.3
Other multiple modes 2,452 0 0.0 2,452 100.0 1,853 0 0.0 1,853 100.0
Other modes 36,844 0 0.0 36,844 100.0 256 0 0.0 256 100.0

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

(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.