In The News
Dollar value of goods moved on freight network ‘greater than ever before,’ says new report
WASHINGTON — In a new report, the Department of Transportation says the dollar value of goods moved on the nation's freight network is greater than ever before.
Trucks remain the most commonly used mode to move freight, transporting 64 percent of the weight and 71 percent of the value in 2012 — compared to 65 percent of the value in 2007.
DOT's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today released the first product from the newest version of the "Freight Analysis Framework," which they say is the most comprehensive publicly available data set of freight movement.
The new data show an increase in the dollar value of goods moved on the transportation network. Earlier this week the Department released the draft National Freight Strategic Plan, which offers specific policy proposals and solutions to address the growing challenges of moving freight in this country and this data underscores the need for such a plan.
The newly baselined Freight Analysis Framework estimates show that in 2012, nearly 17.0 billion tons of goods worth about $17.9 trillion were moved on the transportation network, which equates to 47 million tons of goods valued at more than $49 billion a day moved throughout the country on all transportation modes compared with $45 billion per day in 2007.
"BTS' Transportation Services Index issued last week shows that freight on the nation's transportation system has grown by almost a third since the low point during the recession in April 2009," Bureau of Transportation Statistics Director Patricia Hu said. "Today's release of the new Freight Analysis Framework, built on BTS' Commodity Flow Survey, is the first in a series of tools that will help officials at all levels of government plan for continued freight growth."
The Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) includes data on the amount and types of goods that move by land, sea and air between large metropolitan areas, states and regions, stated DOT in a news release. "It is designed to provide information on national level freight flows across the nation's transportation network. This information helps the public and private sectors at all levels better understand freight movement; transportation planners use it to target resources to improve operations or increase capacity. Today's product focuses on the origin and destination component of FAF."
Additional elements are planned for future release, DOT stated.
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