U.S. Department of Transportation

Domestic Freight Ton-Miles by Mode in U.S.

The Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) creates a comprehensive picture of freight movement among states and major metropolitan areas by all modes of transportation. The FAF integrates data from a variety of sources. Starting with data from the Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) and international trade data from the Census Bureau, FAF incorporates data from agriculture, extraction, utility, construction, service, and other sectors. The FAF is produced by BTS with support from FHWA.

Update - New Version FAF5.5 - The new version of the Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) provides estimates for tonnage, value, and ton-miles by origin-destination pair of FAF regions, commodity type, and mode for:Base year (2017)Annual estimates (2018–2021)Forecast year estimates (2023–2050)State-level historical trend estimates (1997–2012)

The cost of transportation stems from the resources it requires—labor, equipment, fuel, and infrastructure. Many resources are purchased by firms that provide transportation services, such as labor purchased by a railroad or fuel bought by a trucking company. Other resources are purchased directly by the users of transportation, such as fuel purchased by households for automobile travel. In addition, federal, state, and local governments provide most of the transportation infrastructure, such as highways. The prices that transportation companies charge for transportation services become out-of-pocket costs to travelers and freight shippers, and influence their transportation choices. Because transportation is an input to the production of almost all goods and services, transportation price changes can influence the cost of other goods and services as well. Transportation prices themselves are affected by the prices of inputs, such as labor costs, fuel costs, and the costs of transportation parts.

The Transportation Services Index (TSI), created by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), measures the movement of freight and passengers. The index, which is seasonally adjusted, combines available data on freight traffic, as well as passenger travel, that have been weighted to yield a monthly measure of transportation services output. Source: TSI numbers are BTS estimates. Note: Monthly data changes with each release due to the use of concurrent seasonal analysis, which results in seasonal analysis factors changing as each month's data are added.

National Transportation Statistics presents statistics on the U.S. transportation system, including its physical components, safety record, economic performance, the human and natural environment, and national security.