DOT Boosts Estimate of Total Freight Shipments

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uch more freight moves through the nation’s transportation system than previously reported, and almost 10% of freight shipments are related to international trade, according to a new report issued by the Department of Transportation.

DOT estimated that 23% measured by weight and 25% measured by dollars moves on the country’s transportation system than previously estimated. The new estimates include previously uncovered sectors such as construction, retail, services and municipal solid waste.

The figures were part of “Freight in America,” a report issued Monday by DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

BTS estimated that more than 19 billion tons of freight, valued at $13 trillion, was carried over 4.4 trillion ton-miles in 2002. This means that on a typical day, about 53 million tons of goods valued at about $36 billion moved through the nation’s transportation network.

Freight ton-miles, a measure that combines weight and distance, are now estimated to be 2% less than previously estimated because of data revisions and new methodologies.

The report is at the DOT’s booth at this week’s Transportation Research Board annual meeting in Washington, and will be on the BTS Web site, www.bts.gov, in March.