Freight Analysis Framework
(FAF)
Version 2.2, User Guide
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Contact Information: Michael Sprung at Michael.Sprung@dot.gov
Commodity Origin-Destination Database: 2002-2035
November 20, 2006
FAF estimates commodity flows and related freight transportation activity among states, sub-state regions, and major international gateways. It also forecasts future flows among regions and relates those flows to the transportation network. FAF includes an origin-destination database of commodity flows among regions, and a network database in which flows are converted to truck payloads and related to specific routes.
The FAF commodity origin-destination database includes tons and value of commodity movements among regions by mode of transportation and type of commodity. This document covers FAF Version 2.2 (referred to as FAF2.2), which replaces Version 2.1. Specific differences between Version 2.2 and 2.1 are:
- FAF2.2 contains projected commodity flow data ranging from 2010 to 2035 in five-year intervals as well as corrected 2002 base case data from Version 2.1.
- FAF2.2 excludes all foreign-to-foreign shipments via the United States. These in-transit flows were partially covered in the "sea" file of Version 2.1.
Neither version includes international air cargo data, which will be added later.
The FAF2.2 2002 base year database is built entirely from public data sources. Key sources include the 2002 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS), developed by the Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), U.S. Department of Transportation; Foreign Waterborne Cargo data, developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and a host of other sources that are documented in various papers available at www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf. FAF statistics do not match those in mode-specific publications primarily due to different definitions that were used to avoid double counting. FAF2.2 statistics should not be compared with original FAF data because different methods and coverage are employed.
Methods in developing the 2002 base year data are transparent; and it has been expanded to cover all modes and significant sources of shipments. Future projected data covering years from 2010 to 2035 with a five-year interval are based on Global Insight's proprietary economic and freight modeling packages. However, the approach/general procedure and assumptions utilized by the modeling packages have been documented and are available for download at www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf.
The 2002 FAF2.2 Commodity Origin-Destination Database is a product of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), developed in cooperation with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) through contracts with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, MacroSys Research and Technology, Global Insight, and Battelle. Because the scope and methods have changed significantly, statistics from FAF2 and the original FAF should not be compared.
With regards to the import/export data, commodity conversions between classification systems in the "sea" files are currently under further examination. Any modifications will be released in another version of FAF. The Transborder files ("brd") do not distinguish rail-only from truck-rail intermodal and classify container-on-flatcr and trailer-on-flatcar flows between Canada and the United States and between Mexico and the United States as rail.
This document contains basic information for using the FAF2.2 Commodity Origin-Destination Database: 2002, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2025, 2030 and 2035. Contents include:
- Description of files
- Data dictionary
- Notes on comparability of region-to-region sums with published national totals
- FAF history
Complete documentation and additional products are available at www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf.
DESCRIPTION OF FILES
The FAF2.2 Commodity Origin-Destination Database: 2002-2035 contains six separate data tables (listed below). These six data tables are presented in two different formats for user convenience. The first format lists and presents each of the six tables independently in comma delimited data form identified by the "csv" file extension. The six independent tables are:
-
dom_kton.csv contains commodity flows between domestic origins and destinations. Each record includes origin, origin state, destination, destination state, commodity, mode, and tons (thousands of short tons).
-
dom_mdol.csv contains commodity flows between domestic origins and destinations. Each record includes origin, origin state, destination, destination state, commodity, mode, and value (millions of dollars).
-
brd_kton.csv contains commodity flows by land from Canada and Mexico via ports of entry on the U.S. border to domestic destinations and from the United States via ports of exit on the U.S. border to Canada and Mexico. Records contain origin, origin state/region, destination, destination state/region, port of entry or exit (coast), commodity, mode used on the domestic leg of the movement, and tons (thousands of short tons). For flows between domestic origins and foreign destinations, mode is for the portion between origin and port of exit. For flows between foreign origins and domestic destinations, mode is for the portion between port of entry and domestic destination.
-
brd_mdol.csv contains commodity flows by land from Canada and Mexico via ports of entry on the U.S. border to domestic destinations and from the United States via ports of exit on the U.S. border to Canada and Mexico. Records contain origin, origin state/region, destination, destination state/region, port of entry or exit (coast), commodity, mode used on the domestic leg of the movement, and value (millions of dollars). For flows between domestic origins and foreign destinations, mode is for the portion between origin and port of exit. For flows between foreign origins and domestic destinations, mode is for the portion between port of entry and domestic destination.
-
sea_kton.csv contains commodity flows by water from overseas origins via ports of entry to domestic destinations and from domestic origins via ports of exit to overseas destinations. Records contain origin, origin state/region, destination, destination state/region, port of entry or exit (coast), commodity, mode used on the domestic leg of the movement, and tons in thousands of short tons. For flows between domestic origins and foreign destinations, mode is for the portion between origin and port of exit. For flows between foreign origins and domestic destinations, mode is for the portion between port of entry and domestic destination.
-
sea_mdol.csv contains commodity flows by water from overseas origins via ports of entry to domestic destinations and from domestic origins via ports of exit to overseas destinations. Records contain origin, origin state/region, destination, destination state/region, port of entry or exit (coast), commodity, mode used on the domestic leg of the movement, value in millions of dollars. For flows between domestic origins and foreign destinations, mode is for the portion between origin and port of exit. For flows between foreign origins and domestic destinations, mode is for the portion between port of entry and domestic destination.
The second format presents the six data tables in Microsoft Access file format, identified by the "mdb" file extension. These six tables are contained in the file named faf2_v22.mdb.
DATA DICTIONARY
The FAF2.2 includes: 1) two four-dimensional matrices (one for tons and one for value) for domestic movements in which the four dimensions are origin, destination, commodity, and mode; and 2) four five-dimensional matrices for international movements (one for tons and one for value) in which the five dimensions are origin, destination, commodity, mode, and coast (port of entry/exit). These matrices are referred to as the Freight Flow Database: Origins and Destinations. The Database is comprised of 114 regions as defined and used in the 2002 CFS plus 17 additional international gateways and 7 international regions. Commodities are defined at the 2-digit SCTG (Standard Classification of Transported Goods) level. The complete FAF2.2 2002 U.S. Commodity Flows Matrix is comprised of 138 origin and destination regions, broken down by 43 commodity classes and by 7 major mode/mode combinations.
Column Headings for Domestic Tables (dom_kton and dom_mdol)
Origin: one of the 114 FAF/CFS domestic regions.
Ost: the State in which the FAF "Origin" region is located.
Destination: one of the 114 domestic regions.
Dst: the State in which the FAF "Destination" region is located.
Commodity: one of the 43 commodities defined by the SCTG.
Mode: one of the seven modes.
2002-2035: Thousand tons or million dollars for the given year.
Column Headings for International Tables (brd_kton, brd_mdol, sea_kton, and sea_mdol)
Origin: one of the 121 FAF regions 114 domestic regions plus 7 international regions).
Ost: the State/International region in which the FAF "Origin" region is located.
Destination: one of the 121 FAF regions (114 domestic regions plus 7 international regions).
Dst: the States/International region in which the FAF "Destination" region is located.
Commodity: one of the 43 commodities defined by the SCTG.
Port: one of the 121 FAF domestic regions or 17 additional international gateways at which imports entered or exports departed the United States.
Mode: one of the seven modes used for the domestic portion of the movement.
2002-2035: Thousand tons or million dollars for the given year.FAF Regions
Domestic FAF regions are based on Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MeSAs), Consolidated Statistical Areas (CSAs), and states or balances of states.
| Region ID | BTS/Census Commodity Flow Survey Region Name | FAF Database Abbreviation | FAF State/Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL CSA | AL Birmi | AL |
| 2 | Remainder of Alabama | AL rem | AL |
| 3 | Alaska | AK | AK |
| 4 | Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ MeSA | AZ Phoen | AZ |
| 5 | Tucson, AZ MeSA | AZ Tucso | AZ |
| 6 | Remainder of Arizona | AZ rem | AZ |
| 7 | Arkansas | AR | AR |
| 8 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA CSA | CA Los A | CA |
| 9 | San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA MeSA | CA San D | CA |
| 10 | Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Truckee, CA-NV CSA (CA Part) | CA Sacra | CA |
| 11 | San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA CSA | CA San J | CA |
| 12 | Remainder of California | CA rem | CA |
| 13 | Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO CSA | CO Denver | CO |
| 14 | Remainder of Colorado | CO rem | CO |
| 15 | New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA (CT Part) | CT New Y | CT |
| 16 | Remainder of Connecticut | CT rem | CT |
| 17 | Delaware | DE | DE |
| 18 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MeSA (DC Part) | DC Washi | DC |
| 19 | Jacksonville, FL MeSA | FL Jacks | FL |
| 20 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL MeSA | FL Miami | FL |
| 21 | Orlando-The Villages, FL CSA | FL Orlan | FL |
| 22 | Tampa-St Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MeSA | FL Tampa | FL |
| 23 | Remainder of Florida | FL rem | FL |
| 24 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL CSA (GA Part) | GA Atlan | GA |
| 25 | Remainder of Georgia | GA rem | GA |
| 26 | Honolulu, HI MeSA | HI Honol | HI |
| 27 | Remainder of Hawaii | HI rem | HI |
| 28 | Idaho | ID | ID |
| 29 | Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI CSA (IL Part) | IL Chica | IL |
| 30 | St Louis, MO-IL MeSA (IL Part) | IL St LO | IL |
| 31 | Remainder of Illinois | IL rem | IL |
| 32 | Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI CSA (IN Part) | IN Chica | IN |
| 33 | Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN CSA | IN India | IN |
| 34 | Remainder of Indiana | IN rem | IN |
| 35 | Iowa | IA | IA |
| 36 | Kansas City, MO-KS MeSA (KS Part) | KS Kansa | KS |
| 37 | Remainder of Kansas | KS rem | KS |
| 38 | Louisville-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN CSA (KY Part) | KY Louis | KY |
| 39 | Remainder of Kentucky | KY rem | KY |
| 40 | New Orleans-Metairie-Bogalusa, LA CSA | LA New O | LA |
| 41 | Remainder of Louisiana | LA rem | LA |
| 42 | Maine | ME | ME |
| 43 | Baltimore-Towson, MD MeSA | MD Balti | MD |
| 44 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MeSA (MD Part) | MD Washi | MD |
| 45 | Remainder of Maryland | MD rem | MD |
| 46 | Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH CSA (MA Part) | MA Bosto | MA |
| 47 | Remainder of Massachusetts | MA rem | MA |
| 48 | Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI CSA | MI Detro | MI |
| 49 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Holland, MI CSA | MI Grand | MI |
| 50 | Remainder of Michigan | MI rem | MI |
| 51 | Minneapolis-St Paul-St Cloud, MN-WI CSA (MN Part) | MN Minne | MN |
| 52 | Remainder of Minnesota | MN rem | MN |
| 53 | Mississippi | MS | MS |
| 54 | Kansas City, MO-KS MeSA (MO Part) | MO Kansa | MO |
| 55 | St Louis-St Charles-Farmington, MO-IL CSA (MO Part) | MO St LO | MO |
| 56 | Remainder of Missouri | MO rem | MO |
| 57 | Montana | MT | MT |
| 58 | Nebraska | NE | NE |
| 59 | Las Vegas-Paradise-Pahrump, NV CSA | NV Las V | NV |
| 60 | Remainder of Nevada | NV rem | NV |
| 61 | New Hampshire | NH | NH |
| 62 | New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA (NJ Part) | NJ New Y | NJ |
| 63 | Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA (NJ Part) | NJ Phila | NJ |
| 64 | Remainder of New Jersey | NJ rem | NJ |
| 65 | New Mexico | NM | NM |
| 66 | Albany-Schenectady-Amsterdam, NY CSA | NY Alban | NY |
| 67 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Tonawanda, NY MeSA | NY Buffa | NY |
| 68 | New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA (NY Part) | NY New Y | NY |
| 69 | Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY CSA | NY Roche | NY |
| 70 | Remainder of New York | NY rem | NY |
| 71 | Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, NC-SC CSA (NC Part) | NC Charl | NC |
| 72 | Greensboro--Winston-Salem--High Point, NC CSA | NC Green | NC |
| 73 | Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC CSA | NC Ralei | NC |
| 74 | Remainder of North Carolina | NC rem | NC |
| 75 | North Dakota | ND | ND |
| 76 | Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN CSA (OH Part) | OH Cinci | OH |
| 77 | Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH CSA | OH Cleve | OH |
| 78 | Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH CSA | OH Colum | OH |
| 79 | Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH CSA | OH Dayto | OH |
| 80 | Remainder of Ohio | OH rem | OH |
| 81 | Oklahoma City-Shawnee, OK CSA | OK Oklah | OK |
| 82 | Tulsa-Bartlesville, OK CSA | OK Tulsa | OK |
| 83 | Remainder of Oklahoma | OK rem | OK |
| 84 | Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA MeSA (OR Part) | OR Portl | OR |
| 85 | Remainder of Oregon | OR rem | OR |
| 86 | Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA (PA Part) | PA Phila | PA |
| 87 | Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA CSA | PA Pitts | PA |
| 88 | Remainder of Pennsylvania | PA rem | PA |
| 89 | Rhode Island | RI | RI |
| 90 | Greenville-Anderson-Seneca, SC CSA | SC Green | SC |
| 91 | Spartanburg-Gaffney-Union, SC CSA | SC Spart | SC |
| 92 | Remainder of South Carolina | SC rem | SC |
| 93 | South Dakota | SD | SD |
| 94 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR MeSA (TN Part) | TN Memph | TN |
| 95 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Columbia, TN CSA | TN Nashv | TN |
| 96 | Remainder of Tennessee | TN rem | TN |
| 97 | Austin-Round Rock, TX MeSA | TX Austi | TX |
| 98 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX CSA | TX Dalla | TX |
| 99 | Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX CSA | TX Houst | TX |
| 100 | San Antonio, TX MeSA | TX San A | TX |
| 101 | Remainder of Texas | TX rem | TX |
| 102 | Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield, UT CSA | UT Salt | UT |
| 103 | Remainder of Utah | UT rem | UT |
| 104 | Vermont | VT | VT |
| 105 | Richmond, VA MeSA | VA Richm | VA |
| 106 | Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MeSA (VA Part) | VA Virgi | VA |
| 107 | Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV CSA (VA Part) | VA Washi | VA |
| 108 | Remainder of Virginia | VA rem | VA |
| 109 | Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA CSA | WA Seatt | WA |
| 110 | Remainder of Washington | WA rem | WA |
| 111 | West Virginia | WV | WV |
| 112 | Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI CSA | WI Milwa | Wi |
| 113 | Remainder of Wisconsin | WI rem | WI |
| 114 | Wyoming | WY | WY |
| Gateway ID | FAF Additional International Gateways | FAF Database Abbreviation | FAF State/Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 115 | Anchorage, AK | AK-Anchorage | AK |
| 116 | Blaine, WA | WA-Blain | WA |
| 117 | International Falls, MN | MN-International Falls | MN |
| 118 | Alexandria Bay, NY | NY-Alexandria Bay | NY |
| 119 | Champlain/Rouses Point, NY | NY-Champlian/Rouses Point | NY |
| 120 | Portland, ME | ME-Portland | ME |
| 121 | Charleston, SC | SC-Charleston | SC |
| 122 | Savannah,GA | GA-Savannah | GA |
| 123 | Mobile, AL | AL-Mobile | AL |
| 124 | Baton Rouge, LA | LA-Baton Rouge | LA |
| 125 | Morgan City, LA | LA-Morgan | LA |
| 126 | Lake Charles, LA | LA-Lake Charles | LA |
| 127 | Beaumont, TX | TX-Beaumont | TX |
| 128 | Corpus Christi, TX | TX-Corpus Christi | TX |
| 129 | Brownsville/Hidalgo, TX | TX-Brownsville/Hidalgo | TX |
| 130 | Laredo, TX | TX-Laredo | TX |
| 131 | El Paso, TX | TX-El Paso | TX |
| Region ID | FAF Foreign Trade Regions | FAF Database Abbreviation | FAF State/Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 132 | Canada | Canada | CN |
| 133 | Mexico | Mexico | MX |
| 134 | Latin and South America | Americas | AM |
| 135 | Asia | Asia E&S | AS |
| 136 | Europe | Europe | EU |
| 137 | Rest of World | Rest of World | AF |
| 138 | Middle East | SW Asia | SW |
Commodity Codes
Commodity codes are based on the Standard Classification of Transported Goods (SCTG). More information on SCTG is available at http://www.statcan.ca/english/Subjects/Standard/sctg/sctg-class.htm#19.
| SCTG | BTS/Census Full Commodity Name | FAF Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Live animals and live fish | Live animals/fish |
| 2 | Cereal grains | Cereal grains |
| 3 | Other agricultural products | Other ag prods. |
| 4 | Animal feed and products of animal origin, n.e.c.1 | Animal feed |
| 5 | Meat, fish, seafood, and their preparations | Meat/seafood |
| 6 | Milled grain products and preparations, bakery products | Milled grain prods. |
| 7 | Other prepared foodstuffs and fats and oils | Other foodstuffs |
| 8 | Alcoholic beverages | Alcoholic beverages |
| 9 | Tobacco products | Tobacco prods. |
| 10 | Monumental or building stone | Building stone |
| 11 | Natural sands | Natural sands |
| 12 | Gravel and crushed stone | Gravel |
| 13 | Nonmetallic minerals n.e.c.1 | Nonmetallic minerals |
| 14 | Metallic ores and concentrates | Metallic ores |
| 15 | Coal | Coal |
| 16 | Crude Petroleum | Crude petroleum |
| 17 | Gasoline and aviation turbine fuel | Gasoline |
| 18 | Fuel oils | Fuel oils |
| 19 | Coal and petroleum products, n.e.c.1 (Note: primarily natural gas, selected coal products, and products of petroleum refining, excluding gasoline, aviation fuel, and fuel oil.) | Coal-n.e.c.1 |
| 20 | Basic chemicals | Basic chemicals |
| 21 | Pharmaceutical products | Pharmaceuticals |
| 22 | Fertilizers | Fertilizers |
| 23 | Chemical products and preparations, n.e.c.1 | Chemical prods. |
| 24 | Plastics and rubber | Plastics/rubber |
| 25 | Logs and other wood in the rough | Logs |
| 26 | Wood products | Wood prods. |
| 27 | Pulp, newsprint, paper, and paperboard | Newsprint/paper |
| 28 | Paper or paperboard articles | Paper articles |
| 29 | Printed products | Printed prods. |
| 30 | Textiles, leather, and articles of textiles or leather | Textiles/leather |
| 31 | Nonmetallic mineral products | Nonmetal min. prods. |
| 32 | Base metal in primary or semi-finished forms and in finished basic shapes | Base metals |
| 33 | Articles of base metal | Articles-base metal |
| 34 | Machinery | Machinery |
| 35 | Electronic and other electrical equipment and components and office equipment | Electronics |
| 36 | Motorized and other vehicles (including parts) | Motorized vehicles |
| 37 | Transportation equipment, n.e.c.1 | Transport equip. |
| 38 | Precision instruments and apparatus | Precision instruments |
| 39 | Furniture, mattresses and mattress supports, lamps, lighting fittings | Furniture |
| 40 | Miscellaneous manufactured products | Misc. mfg. prods. |
| 41 | Waste and scrap | Waste/scrap |
| 43 | Mixed freight | Mixed freight |
| 42 | Commodity unknown | Unknown |
1 n.e.c. = not elsewhere classified.
Modes of Transportation
| 1 | Truck. Includes private and for-hire truck. Private trucks are operated by a temporary or permanent employee of an establishment or the buyer/receiver of the shipment. For-hire trucks carry freight for a fee collected from the shipper, recipient of the shipment, or an arranger of the transportation. |
| 2 | Rail. Any common carrier or private railroad. |
| 3 | Water. Includes shallow draft, deep draft and Great Lakes shipments. FAF2 uses definitions by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Shallow draft includes barges, ships, or ferries operating primarily on rivers and canals; in harbors; the Saint Lawrence Seaway; the Intra-coastal Waterway; the Inside Passage to Alaska; major bays and inlets; or in the ocean close to the shoreline. Deep draft includes barges, ships, or ferries operating primarily in the open ocean. |
| 4 | Air (includes truck-air). Includes shipments by air or a combination of truck and air. Commercial or private aircraft, and all air service for shipments that typically weigh more than 100 pounds. Includes air freight and air express. |
| 5 | Truck-Rail Intermodal. Includes shipments by a combination of truck and rail. |
| 6 | Other Multiple Modes. Includes shipments typically weighing less than 100 pounds by Parcel, U.S. Postal Service, or Courier, as well as shipments of all sizes by truck-water, water-rail, and other intermodal combinations. |
| 7 | Pipeline and Unknown. Pipeline is included with unknown because region-to-region flows by pipeline are subject to large uncertainty. |
Note that modal totals in the FAF2.2 database will not match totals in the rail waybill or waterborne commerce data programs due to differences in definitions and coverage. For example, maritime imports moved inland by truck are counted as truck in the FAF "sea" file and as "water" by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Intermodal" in FAF is not limited to containerized freight or trailer-on-flatcar.
Other Data Definitions
Commodity. Based on the definition used by the 2002 CFS, commodities are products that an establishment produces, sells, or distributes. This does not include items that are considered as excess or byproducts of the establishment's operation. Survey respondents reported the description and the five-digit Standard Classification of Transported Goods (SCTG) code for the major commodity contained in the shipment, defined as the commodity with the greatest weight in the total shipment.
Shipment. A shipment is a single movement of goods, commodities, or products from an establishment to a single customer or to another establishment owned or operated by the same company as the originating establishment (e.g., a warehouse, distribution center, or retail or wholesale outlet). Full or partial truckloads are counted as a single shipment only if all commodities on the truck are destined for the same location. If a truck makes multiple deliveries on a route, then each stop is counted as one shipment.
Standard Classification of Transported Goods (SCTG). The commodities shown in this report are classified using the SCTG coding system. The SCTG coding system was developed jointly by agencies of the United States and Canadian governments based on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (Harmonized System) to address statistical needs in regard to products transported. More information on SCTG is available at http://www.statcan.ca/english/Subjects/Standard/sctg/sctg-class.htm#19.
Tons shipped. The total weight of all shipments transported between any pair of FAF regions or within a FAF region during the course of a calendar year. Tons, in the FAF, are stated as short tons (2,000 pounds). For freight shipped to distribution centers for subsequent reshipment, the tonnage is counted each time the goods are transported. As with value of shipments, the tonnage of a product could be counted multiple times depending on the number of times the product is transported in the production and consumption cycle. Thus, tons shipped can be, and frequently are, multiples of the estimated tons of a commodity as measured for the purposes of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Value of commodities transported. The net selling value, f.o.b. (free on board) plant, exclusive of freight charges and excise taxes. The value data are displayed in millions of 2002 U.S. dollars.
The total value of shipments, as measured by the 2002 CFS, and hence by the FAF, and the U.S. GDP provide different measures of economic activity in the United States and are not directly comparable. GDP is the value of all goods produced and services performed by labor and capital located in the United States. In 2002, the U.S. GDP was estimated at $10.4 trillion (measured in current U.S. dollars). The value of shipments, as measured by ORNL, is the market value of goods shipped from manufacturing, mining, wholesale, and mail-order retail establishments, as well as warehouses and managing offices of multi-unit establishments. This is estimated to be $13 trillion in 2002.
Three important differences can be identified between GDP and value of shipments:
- GDP United States. FAF measures goods shipped from a subset of all goods-producing establishments.
- GDP measures the value of goods produced and of services performed. FAF measures the value of goods shipped.
- GDP counts only the value-added at each step in the production of a product. FAF captures the value of shipments of materials used to produce or manufacture a product, as well as the value of shipments of the finished product itself. This means that the value of the materials used to produce a particular product can contribute multiple times to the value.
Acronyms
| AADT | Annual Average Daily Traffic |
| AAR | Association of American Railroads |
| AEO | Annual Energy Outlook |
| AMSA | American Moving and Storage Association |
| AOP | Association of Oil Pipe Lines |
| API | American Petroleum Institute |
| ATA | American Trucking Association |
| BEA | Bureau of Economic Analysis |
| BTS | Bureau of Transportation Statistics |
| BTS/OAI | Bureau of Transportation Statistics/Office of Airline Information |
| CBP | County Business Patterns |
| CDD | Construction and Demolition Debris |
| CFS | Commodity Flow Survey |
| COTS | Commercial off the Shelf |
| CV | Coefficient of Variation |
| DMV | Department of Motor Vehicles |
| EEZ | Exclusive Economic Zone |
| EIA | Energy Information Administration |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
| EWITS | Eastern Washington Intermodal Transportation Study |
| FAF | Freight Analysis Framework |
| FERC | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission |
| FGDC | Federal Geographic Data Committee |
| FHWA | Federal Highway Administration |
| FIPS | Federal Information Processing Standards |
| FMIP | Freight Model Improvement Program |
| GDP | Gross Domestic Product |
| GSP | Gross State Product |
| GVW | Gross Vehicle Weight |
| HERS | Highway Economics Requirement System |
| HPMS | Highway Performance Monitoring System |
| HS | Harmonized System |
| ICC | Interstate Commerce Commission |
| IPF | Iterative Proportional Fitting |
| ITDS | International Trade Data System |
| LNG | Liquefied Natural Gas |
| LPMS | Lock Performance Monitoring System |
| MARAD | Maritime Administration |
| MIO | Maritime Input Output |
| MPO | Metropolitan Planning Organization |
| MeSA | Metropolitan Statistical Area |
| MSW | Municipal Solid Waste |
| MTA | Metropolitan Transportation Authority |
| NAFTA | North American Free Trade Agreement |
| NAICS | North American Industry Classification System |
| NASS | National Agricultural Statistics Service |
| NDC | Navigation Data Center |
| NHPN | National Highway Planning Network |
| NHTSA | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |
| NFD | Network Flow Database |
| NMFS | National Marine Fisheries Service |
| NOAA | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| NSDI | National Spatial Data Infrastructure |
| ODCM | Origin, Destination, Commodity, Mode |
| ORNL | Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
| PAD | Petroleum Administration Districts |
| PCE | Passenger Car Equivalents |
| PIERS | Port Import Export Reporting Service |
| POC | Port of Clearance |
| POD | Port of Debarkation |
| POE | Port of Embarkation |
| RCRA | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act |
| REIS | Regional Economic Information System |
| RO-RO Ship | Roll-on, Roll-off Ship |
| ROW | Rest of World |
| SCTG | Standard Classification of Transported Goods |
| SFTA | Strategic Freight Transportation Analysis |
| SIA | Spatial Interaction |
| SIC | Standard Industrial Classification |
| SQL | Standard Query Language |
| STB | Surface Transportation Board |
| STCC | Standard Transportation Commodity Code |
| TEU | Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit |
| TPE | Truck Payload Equivalents |
| UGPTI | Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute |
| USACE | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
| USDA | U.S. Department of Agriculture |
| USDOE | U.S. Department of Energy |
| USDOT | U.S. Department of Transportation |
| VIUS | Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey |
| VTRIS | Vehicle Travel Information System |
| WCO | World Customs Organization |
| WCSC | Waterborne Commerce Statistical Center |
| WCUS | Waterborne Commerce Commodity Code |
| WTE | Waste to Energy |
Data Sources
Carload Waybill Sample
Domestic Waterborne Commerce of the United States
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Annual Report
Fisheries of the United States Annual Report
International Waterborne Commerce of the United States
The import and export data are found at:
Municipal Solid Waste- BioCycle and Beck/Chartwell Studies
Municipal Solid Waste-Franklin/EPA Study
Regional Elevator Survey: Grain Transportation and Industry Trends for Great Plains Elevators
Transborder Surface Freight
U.S. Air Freight Movements
U.S. Census Bureau-County Business Patterns 2002
U.S. Census Bureau-County Population Change
U.S. Census Bureau-County to County Migration Flow 2002
U.S. Census of Agriculture 2002
U.S. Commodity Flow Survey 2002
U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Statistics Annual Report
U.S. Department of Agriculture-Census of Agriculture 2002
U.S. Department of Energy-Energy Information Administration
Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey
NOTES ON COMPARABILITY OF REGION-TO-REGION SUMS WITH PUBLISHED NATIONAL TOTALS
Summation of FAF2 region-to-region flows across all regions differ from published national totals, primarily due to differences in coverage and definitions.
- FAF2 coverage is more complete than the original FAF and uses very different estimation methods. Statistics from FAF2 should not be compared to statistics from the original FAF.
- FAF2 coverage is more complete than the Commodity Flow Survey, which is limited to shipments by domestic establishments in mining, manufacturing, and wholesale. FAF2 also includes shipments by foreign establishments (i.e. imports) and shipments by domestic establishments in retail, services, construction, and government, as well as logging, farm-based shipments, and crude petroleum.
- FAF2 includes local and long distance trucking, which is more extensive than "intercity trucking" reported in other publications.
- FAF2 totals for rail include shipments that use multiple carriers only once, while the Rail Waybill counts each terminal-to-terminal move separately. FAF2 classifies rail-truck and other intermodal combinations separately from rail-only, while rail-only and rail combinations with other modes are all counted together in the Rail Waybill.
- FAF2 totals for water include shipments that pass through ports only once, while the Corps of Engineers counts an international shipment to a domestic port that then moves by inland waterway or in domestic coastwise traffic twice. FAF2 classifies water-rail and other intermodal combinations separately from water-only, while water-only and water combinations with other modes are all counted together in Waterborne Commerce Statistics. Additionally, once a maritime import arrives at a U.S. port of entry, FAF2 assigns the shipments to the domestic mode that transports the goods from the port to the final inland destination.
- Summations FAF2 region-to-region flows will not quite match FAF2 totals in publications such as FHWA's Freight Facts and Figures and BTS' Freight in America. FAF2 region-to-region totals are 0.67 percent lower in tons and 3.0 percent lower in value than the published national totals. Differences are due to the treatment of air imports and other adjustments that are explained in FAF2 technical documentation.
The published totals of international shipments in FAF2 include the mode used to enter or leave the country, as well as the domestic mode used between the port and inland origin or destination.
FAF History
FAF1 - often referred to as the "Original" FAF are based on private and proprietary data. Analyses covered under FAF1 are base year 1998 and future 2010 and 2020. Released in 2000.
FAF2 Version 2.1 (FAF2.1) - Released in January 2006. Version 2.1 covers commodity origin destination data for base year 2002.
FAF2 Version 2.2 (FAF2.2) - Released in November 2006. Version 2.2 replaces Version 2.1. It covers commodity origin destination data including base year 2002 and future years from 2010 to 2035 with a five-year interval. Version 2.2 includes minor corrections to 2002 base year flows in Version 2.1.