H - Information on Data Sources
Airline freight and passenger data
The U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) collects and compiles data on the
volume of revenue passengers, freight, and mail traffic handled and reported by the nation's large certificated air carriers.
These carriers hold Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPN) issued by the USDOT authorizing the performance of
air transportation. Large certificated air carriers operate aircraft with seating capacity of more than 60 seats or a maximum
payload capacity of more than 18,000 pounds or conduct international operations. Data for commuters, intrastate, nonscheduled air
taxi operators, and foreign flag air carriers are not included in this BTS data.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOT, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information
Print source: USDOT, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline
Information. Airport Activity Statistics. Washington, DC: Annual issues.
Internet: http://www.bts.gov
Commodity Flow Survey
The Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) provides data on the movement of freight by type of commodity shipped and by mode of
transport. In 1997, 100,000 domestic establishments were randomly selected from a universe of approximately 800,000 engaged
in mining, manufacturing, wholesale, warehouses of multi-establishment companies, and some selected activities in retail and
service. The survey excluded establishments classified as farms, forestry, fisheries, governments, construction, transportation,
foreign establishments, services, and most establishments in retail. For the 1997 CFS, each selected establishment reported
a sample of about 25 outbound shipments for a one-week period in each of four calendar quarters in 1997. This produced a total
sample of over 5 million shipments. Due to industry-wide reporting problems, shipments by oil and gas extraction establishments
were excluded from data tabulations.
For each sampled 1997 CFS shipment, zip code of origin and destination, 5-digit Standard Classification of Transported
Goods (SCTG) code, weight, value, and modes of transport were provided. Information on whether the shipment was containerized,
a hazardous material, or an export was also obtained. Route-distance for each mode, for each shipment, is imputed from a
Mode-Distance Table developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Distance was used to compute ton-mileage by mode of
transport. The CFS provides nationwide geographic coverage in 89 National Transportation Analysis Regions, stratified
by state and, for the 1997 CFS, metropolitan area.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOT, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Statistical Programs
Print source: USDOT, Bureau of Transportation Statistics and U.S. Department
of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, [state]: 1997 Commodity Flow Survey.
EC97TCF-[state], Washington, DC: 1999.
Internet: http://www.bts.gov/ntda/cfs/
Commuting data
Commuting data are derived from the Census 2000 Supplementary Survey (C2SS). The C2SS used the questionnaire and methods
developed for the American Community Survey to collect demographic, social, economic, and housing data from a national
sample of 700,000 households. Group quarters were not included in the sample. The C2SS was conducted in 1,203 counties
with monthly samples of about 58,000 housing units. Economic, demographic, and housing characteristics from the Census
2000 Supplementary Survey are reported for the United States as a whole, the 50 states, and the District of Columbia.
The Census 2000 Supplementary Survey is not directly comparable with the 1990 Census for several reasons, one being that the
former did not include group quarters. This may understate some categories such as walking.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOC, U.S. Census Bureau, Demographic Surveys Division
Internet: http://www.census.gov
Gas and hazardous liquid pipeline data
U.S. fatality and injury data for natural gas pipelines and hazardous liquid pipelines are based on reports filed with the
U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) under 49 CFR 191. Accidents must be reported as soon as
possible, but no later than 30 days after discovery. Undetected releases are a possible source of error; even if subsequently
detected and reported, it may not be possible to accurately reconstruct the accident. Property damage figures are estimates.
Gas pipeline incidents involve: 1) releases of gas from a pipeline or liquefied natural gas (LNG) or gas from an LNG facility
that results in a) death or personal injury necessitating in-patient hospitalization, or b) estimated property damage, including
cost of gas lost, of the operator or others, or both, of $50,000 or more; 2) an event that results in an emergency shutdown of
an LNG facility; or 3) an event that is significant, in the judgment of the operator, even though it did not meet the criteria
of 1) or 2).
For hazardous liquids pipelines, an accident report is required for each failure in a pipeline system in which there is a
release of the hazardous liquid or carbon dioxide transported resulting in any of the following: 1) explosion or fire not
intentionally set by the operator; 2) loss of 50 or more barrels (8 or more cubic meters) of hazardous liquid or carbon
dioxide; 3) escape to the atmosphere of more than 5 barrels (0.8 cubic meters) a day of highly volatile liquids; 4) death
of any person; 5) bodily harm to any person resulting in one or more of the following: a) loss of consciousness, b) an
individual being carried from the scene, c) medical treatment, or d) disability which prevents the discharge of normal
duties or the pursuit of normal activities beyond the day of the accident; or 6) estimated property damage, including
cost of clean-up and recovery, value of lost product, and damage to the property of the operator or others, or both,
exceeding $50,000.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOT, Research and Special Programs Administration, Office of Pipeline Safety
Internet: http://ops.dot.gov
Government transportation revenue and expenditure data
The U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC), U.S. Census Bureau conducts an Annual Survey of Government Finances. Alternatively,
every five years, in years ending in a ´2´ or ´7´, a Census of Governments, including a finance portion, is conducted. The
survey coverage includes all state and local governments in the United States. For both the Census and annual survey, the
finance detail data is equivalent, encompassing the entire range of government finance activities-revenue, expenditure,
debt, and assets.
The data collection for the annual survey uses two methods: mail canvas and central collection from state sources. Data for local
governments includes county, municipal, township, special district, and school district data. Data for state governments are
compiled from state government audits, budgets, and other financial reports into the classification categories used for
reporting by the Census Bureau.
Reporting of government finances by the Census Bureau involves presentation of data in terms of uniform categories. While
often similar to, or identical to, the classification used by the state or local government, there could be instances in
which a significant difference exists between the name of a state or local financial item and the final category to which
it is assigned by the Census Bureau.
Like financial transactions are combined. The financial categories for revenue involve grouping of items by source. Revenue
items of the same kind are merged. Financial transactions for expenditures are classified both by function and by object
category. Debt items are classified by term (short- and long-term), as well as by type of debt and, to a limited extent,
by purpose. Assets also are put into uniform categories, grouped by type of holding, with holdings for insurance trust
systems grouped separately from general government.
The share of government sector financial totals contributed by a state government
or by local governments differs materially from one state to another. Users
can review the Government Finance and Employment Classification Manual
for additional information regarding the financial categories. The financial
amounts in the tables and files are statistical in nature and do not represent
accounting statements or conditions.
The local government statistics are developed from a sample survey. Therefore, the local totals, as well as state and local
aggregates, are considered estimated amounts subject to sampling error. State government finance data are not subject to
sampling. Consequently, state-local aggregates for individual states are more reliable (on a relative standard error basis)
than the local government estimates they include.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOC, U.S. Census Bureau, Finance Branch
Print Sources: USDOC, U.S. Census Bureau, Federal Aid to States: 2000
Internet: http://www.census.gov
Hazardous materials incidents data
Incidents resulting in certain unintentional releases of hazardous materials must be reported under 49 CFR 171.16. Each
carrier must submit a report to the USDOT, Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) within 30 days of the
incident, including information on the mode of transportation involved, results of the incident, and a narrative description
of the accident. These reports are generally made available on RSPA's incident database within 90 days of receipt.
Fatalities and injuries are counted only if directly caused by a hazardous material. For example, a truck operator killed by
impact forces during a motor vehicle crash would not be counted as a hazardous-material fatality. RSPA contacts the submitting
carrier by telephone to verify all reported fatalities.
Although RSPA acknowledges that there is some level of underreporting, it believes that the underreporting is mostly limited
to small, nonserious incidents. The reporting requirements were extended to intrastate highway carriers on October 1, 1998,
and the response rate from this new group is expected to increase over time. Property damage figures are estimates determined
by the carrier prior to the 30-day reporting deadline, and are generally not subsequently updated. Property damage figures,
therefore, may underestimate actual damages.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOT, Research and Special Programs Administration, Office of Hazardous Materials Planning and Analysis
Print source: USDOT, Research and Special Programs Administration, Office of
Hazardous Materials Safety, Hazmat Summary by State for Calendar Year 2000.
Washington, DC: 2001
Internet: http://hazmat.dot.gov
Highway mileage, condition, and use, driver licenses, and highway vehicle registrations data
Data on roadway mileage, condition, and use are extracted from the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS), which
uses a stratified simple random sample of highway links (small sections of roadway) selected from state inventory files.
The HPMS sample was designed as a fixed sample to minimize data collection costs, but adjustments to maintain
representativeness are carried out periodically. The HPMS also consists of universe reporting (a complete census) for the
Interstate and the National Highway System, and tabular summary reporting of limited information.
Data are collected independently by the 50 states, Metropolitan Planning Organizations
(MPOs), and lower jurisdictions. Many of the geometric data items rarely change,
such as number of lanes; others change frequently, such as traffic. The U.S.
Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides
guidelines for data collection in the HPMS Field Manual, which the states
follow to varying extents depending on matters such as staff, resources, state
perspective, uses of the data, and state/MPO/local needs for the data. State
Departments of Transportation (DOTs) report HPMS data annually to the FHWA.
HPMS data are subject to sampling and nonsampling error. Nonsampling error is the major concern with these data. For some of
the most variable and important data items, such as traffic, guidelines for measurement and data collection have been produced.
States have the option of using the guidelines or using their own procedures. Many data items are difficult and costly to
collect and are reported as estimates not based on direct measurement. The data are collected and reported by many entities
and individuals within the responsible organizations. Most do a reasonably good job, but staff turnover, cost, equipment
issues, etc., can create difficulties.
States provide vehicle registration data to the FHWA. Vehicle registration data are shown on a calendar-year basis. Efforts
are made to exclude transfers, re-registrations, and any other factors that could result in duplication in the vehicle counts.
Registration practices for commercial vehicles differ greatly among the states. Some states register a tractor-semitrailer
combination as a single unit; others register the tractor and the semitrailer separately. Some states register buses with
trucks or automobiles, while many states do not report house and light utility trailers separately from commercial trailers
or semitrailers. Some states do not require registration of car or light utility trailers. In some instances, FHWA has
supplemented the data supplied by the states with information obtained from other sources.
States also provide driver licensing data to the FHWA. Although efforts are made to minimize license duplication, drivers who
move from one state to another are sometimes counted in both states until the license from the previous state of residence
expires. Problems with the data also arise from the fact that: 1) some individuals obtain their drivers licenses in states
other than those of legal residence; 2) some individuals fraudulently obtain multiple licenses; 3) not all individuals who
drive are licensed; and 4) the purging of expired licenses or licenses from deceased individuals is not performed on a
continual basis.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOT, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Highway Policy Information
Print source: USDOT, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics.
Washington, DC: Annual issues.
Internet: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/index.html
Highway safety data
Fatalities: Highway fatality data are extracted from the Fatality Analysis
Reporting System (FARS), which is compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation
(USDOT), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data are gathered
from a census of police accident reports (PARs), state vehicle registration
files, state drivers licensing files, state highway department data, vital statistics,
death certificates, coroner/medical examiner reports, hospital medical reports,
and emergency medical service reports. A separate form is completed for each
fatal crash. Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is estimated when not known.
Statistical procedures used for unknown data in FARS can be found in the NHTSA
report, A Method for Estimating Posterior BAC Distributions for Persons Involved
in Fatal Traffic Accidents, DOT HS 807 094 (Washington, DC: July 1986).
Data are collected from relevant state agencies and electronically submitted for inclusion in the FARs database on a
continuous basis. Cross-verification of PARs with death certificates helps prevent undercounting. Moreover, when data
are entered, they are checked automatically for acceptable range values and consistency, enabling quick corrections when
necessary. Several programs continually monitor the data for completeness and accuracy. Periodically, sample cases are
analyzed for accuracy and consistency.
FARS data do not include motor vehicle fatalities on nonpublic roads. These are thought to account for about 2 percent or
fewer of the total motor vehicle fatalities per year.
Injuries and crashes: NHTSA's General Estimates System (GES) data are
a nationally representative sample of police-reported crashes that contributed
to an injury or fatality or resulted in property damage and involved at least
one motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway. GES data collectors randomly sample
PARs and forward copies to a central contractor for coding into a standard GES
system format. Documents such as police diagrams or supporting text provided
by the officers might be further reviewed to complete a data entry. A NHTSA
study of injuries from motor vehicle crashes estimated the total count of nonfatal
injuries at over 5 million compared with the GES's estimate of 3.2 million in
1998.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOT, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis
Print source: USDOT, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic
Safety Facts. Washington, DC: Annual issues.
Internet: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov
International visitors data
Data on international visitors to the United States are based on international arrivals by air to the United States
(excluding those from Canada and Mexico). Information is derived from the Immigration and Naturalization Service's
(INS) Visitor Arrivals Program (I-94) and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Tourism Industries Office's Survey of
International Air Travelers. The survey obtains data on overseas travel patterns, characteristics, and spending
patterns of international travelers to and from the United States. Between 69,000 and 95,000 travelers are surveyed
each year. The survey results are weighted so they represent the international travel populations of U.S. residents
and non-residents based upon Immigration and Naturalization Service data.
Additional information:
Contact: U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC), International Trade Administration, Tourism Industries Office
Print source: USDOC, International Trade Administration, Tourism Industries
Office, Overseas Visitors to Select U.S. States and Territories. Washington,
DC: Annual issues; and USDOC, International Trade Administration, Tourism Industries
Office, Overseas Visitors to Select U.S. Cities/Hawaiian Islands. Washington,
DC: Annual issues.
Internet: http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/
Passenger border crossing data
U.S. Custom Service personnel collect passenger border-crossing entry data for all U.S. land, air, and maritime ports.
These numbers reflect all entries, and it is not possible to divide these data into separate entries for same-day and
overnight travel or by country of residence for the traveler. Additionally, for border-crossing figures, the total number
of people is not the number of unique individuals, but rather indicates the number of border crossings. Multiple crossings
by the same individual count as multiple border crossings.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOT, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Transportation Analysis
Internet: http://www.bts.gov
Railroad industry and shipments data
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) database aggregates data from several sources concerning the freight railroad
industry and movement of freight, both nationally and statewide. The state-specific data include commerce, employment, and
financial contributions.
The primary source of data for Class I railroads is Schedule 700 of the R-1 Annual Report to the Surface Transportation
Board (STB) by individual carriers (100 percent reporting) and the 2000 Carload Waybill Sample. The primary source of data
for non-Class I railroads is AAR's Profiles of U.S. Railroads from statistics supplied annually by nearly all operating U.S.
freight railroads. Some of the data are estimated based on more aggregated, national figures.
The STB defines Class I railroads as having operating revenues at or above a threshold indexed to a base of $250 million
(1991) and adjusted annually in concert with changes in the Railroad Freight Rate Index published by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. Declassification from Class I status occurs when a railroad falls below the applicable threshold for three
consecutive years. Although few in number, Class I railroads account for over 90 percent of the industry's revenue.
The AAR determines the number of non-Class I railroads through an annual survey sent to each U.S. freight railroad.
Historical reliability may vary due to changes in the railroad industry, including bankruptcies, mergers, and declassification
by the STB. Small data errors may also have occurred because of independent rounding in this series by the AAR.
Additional information:
Contact: Association of American Railroads, Policy and Economics Department
Internet: http://www.aar.org
Railroad safety data
Railroads are required to file a report for each accident or incident to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). These
include: 1) train accidents, reported on Form F 6180.54, comprised of collisions, derailments, and other events involving
the operation of on-track equipment and causing reportable damage above an established threshold ($6,600 in 1998);
2) highway-rail grade crossing incidents, reported on Form F 6180.57, involving impact between railroad on-track equipment
and highway users at crossings; and 3) other incidents, reported on Form F 6180.55a, involving all other reportable incidents
or exposures that cause a fatality or injury to any person or an occupational illness to a railroad employee.
Railroads are required by FRA regulations to use the current FRA Guide for
Preparing Accident/Incident Reports when preparing reports.
The Systems Support Division of FRA maintains the Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System (RAIRS), consisting of four
databases: rail equipment, injury/illness, grade-crossing accidents, and railroad summary (freight and passenger). These
databases include information on all railroad accidents, grade-crossing accidents, railroad employee casualties, and any
other injuries on railroad property, and provide the basis for accident analyses and assessment as well as annual reports.
The databases are updated monthly from information submitted by the railroads.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOT, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Safety
Print publication: USDOT, Federal Railroad Administration, Railroad Safety
Statistics. Washington, DC: Annual issues.
Internet: http://www.fra.dot.gov
Recreational boating safety and vehicles data
The U.S. Coast Guard, of the U.S. Department of Transportation, collects data on recreational boating accidents from two
sources: 1) Boating Accident Report (BAR) data forwarded to the Coast Guard by jurisdictions with an approved boat numbering
and casualty reporting system, and 2) reports of Coast Guard investigations of fatal boating accidents that occurred on waters
under federal jurisdiction. Recreational Boating Accident Investigation data are used if submitted to the Coast Guard and are
relied on as much as possible to provide accident statistics. In the absence of investigations, information is collected from
reports filed by boat operators.
Boat operators are required to file a BAR if an accident results in 1) loss of life, 2) personal injury that requires medical
treatment beyond first aid, 3) damage to the vessel and other property exceeding $500, or 4) complete loss of the vessel.
Boat operators are required to report their accidents to authorities in the
state where the accident occurred. States with approved boat numbering systems
furnish the Coast Guard with BAR data. The minimum reporting requirements are
set by federal regulation, but states are allowed to have stricter requirements.
The Coast Guard reports recreational boating safety data in the report Boating
Statistics, which only covers accidents meeting the federal minimum reporting
requirements.
The statistics in Boating Statistics cover boating accidents reported
on waters of joint federal and state jurisdiction, and exclusive state jurisdiction.
The Coast Guard believes over 90 percent of fatal accidents are included in
Boating Statistics. A smaller percentage of nonfatal accidents are reported
because of reporting thresholds, ignorance of the law, and difficulties enforcing
the law. Federal law does not require the reporting of accidents on private
waters where states have no jurisdiction. Reports of accidents on such waters
are included when received by the Coast Guard if they satisfy the other requirements
of inclusion. Accidents excluded are those in which the boat was used as a platform
for other activities (e.g., swimming), and those in which a person dies of natural
causes aboard a boat. However, the data do include accidents involving people
in the water who are struck by their boat or another boat.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOT, U.S. Coast Guard, Office of Boating Safety
Print source: USDOT, U.S. Coast Guard, Office of Boating Safety, Boating
Statistics, Washington, DC: Annual issues.
Internet: http://www.uscgboating.org
Transborder surface freight data
The Transborder Surface Freight Dataset is extracted from the Census Foreign Trade Statistics Program and made available by
the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Import and export data are extracted from administrative records required by the
Departments of Commerce and Treasury. This dataset incorporates all shipments entering or exiting the United States by
surface modes of transport (that is, other than air or maritime vessel) to and from Canada or Mexico. Prior to January
1997, this dataset also included transhipments in its detailed tables, that is, shipments entering or exiting the United
States by way of U.S. Customs ports on the northern or southern borders, even when the actual origin or final destination
of the goods was other than Canada or Mexico. Shipments that neither originate nor terminate in the United States (i.e., intransit
shipments) are beyond the scope of this dataset because they are not considered U.S. international trade shipments.
Users should be aware that the trade data fields (such as value and commodity classification) are typically more rigorously
reviewed than transportation data fields (i.e., mode of transportation and port of entry/exit). Users should also be aware
that the use of foreign trade data to describe physical transportation flows might not be direct. For example, this dataset
provides surface transportation information for individual Customs districts and ports on the northern and southern borders.
However, because of filing procedures for trade documents, these ports may or may not reflect where goods physically crossed
the border. This is because the filer of information may choose to file trade documents at one port, while shipments actually
enter or exit at another port.
Import data are generally more accurate than export data. This is primarily due to the fact that Customs uses import
documents for enforcement purposes, while it performs no similar function for exports.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOT, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Transportation Analysis
Internet: http://www.bts.gov
Transit operating, financial, and safety data
Transit data are from the National Transit Database (NTD) produced by the USDOT, Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
Data are collected from transit agencies that receive Urbanized Area Formula Program funds. Transit operators that do not
report to FTA are those that do not receive federal funding, typically private, small, and rural operators. FTA reviews and
validates information submitted by individual transit agencies. Reliability may vary because some transit agencies cannot
obtain accurate information or may interpret certain data definitions differently than intended.
In 2000, 592 agencies reported to the NTD. Of that total, 67 transit agencies received exemptions from detailed reporting
because they operated 9 or fewer vehicles, and 7 were excluded because their data were incomplete. Thus, 518 individual
reporters were included in the NTD accounting for 90 to 95 percent of transit passenger-miles.
Data are collected on a range of variables including capital and operating funding, transit service supplied and consumed,
and transit safety and security. Transit operators must report fatalities, injuries, accidents, incidents, and property damage
in excess of $1,000.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOT, Federal Transit Administration
Print source: USDOT, Federal Transit Administration, Data Tables. Washington,
DC: Annual issues; and USDOT, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit
Database Reporting Manual. Washington, DC: Annual issues.
Internet: http://www.fta.dot.gov
Transportation establishment, employees, and payroll data
Data on employees, establishments, and payroll are taken from County Business Patterns, a database of employment in
the United States using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Data are collected annually. Data
are extracted from the Business Register, the Census Bureau's file of all known single and multi-establishment companies.
The Annual Company Organization Survey and quinquennial Economic Censuses provide individual establishment data for
multi-location firms. Data for single-location firms are obtained from various programs conducted by the Census Bureau,
such as the Economic Censuses, the Annual Survey of Manufactures, and Current Business Surveys. They are also obtained
from administrative records of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Social Security Administration (SSA), and the Bureau
of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Additional information:
Contact: USDOC, U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Planning and Coordination Division
Print source: USDOC, U.S. Census Bureau, [State]: County Business Patterns
1999. CBP/99-6. Washington, DC: 2001.
Internet: http://www.census.gov/epcd/ cbp/view/cbpview.html
Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey
The Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS) collects data on the physical and operational characteristics of private and
commercial trucks in the United States. The 1997 VIUS sampled about 131,000 trucks from an estimated universe of over 75
million trucks. The sample excludes vehicles owned by federal, state, and local government including ambulances, buses,
motor homes, farm tractors, unpowered trailer units, and trucks reported to have been sold, junked, or wrecked prior to
July 1, 1996. Light trucks registered as cars, as is the practice in many states, were included. Unregistered trucks used
off-road are not included. Census delivered a mail-out/mail-back survey to the owner identified in the vehicle registration
records. Data collection is staggered as state records become available. Owners report data only for the vehicles selected.
The response rate for the 1997 VIUS was about 85 percent.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOC, U.S. Census Bureau, Service Sector Statistics Division
Print source: USDOC, U.S. Census Bureau, [state]: 1997 Vehicle Inventory
and Use Survey. EC97TV-[state]. Washington, DC: 1999.
Internet: http://www.census.gov/svsd/www/tiusview.html
Waterborne imports and vessel data
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) classifies
merchant-based vessels by size and type and reports this information in its
annual publication, Merchant Fleets of the World. MARAD compiles these
figures from a data service provided by Lloyd's Maritime Information Service.
The parent company, Lloyd's Register (LR), collects data from several sources,
including its offices around the world, data transfers and agreements with other
classification societies, questionnaires to ship owners and shipbuilders, feedback
from government agencies, and input from port agents.
MARAD's Office of Statistical and Economic Analysis maintains the waterborne databank used to compile the annual import and
export statistics from monthly and quarterly data provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. MARAD publishes the data in
reports of vessel movements, trade and cargo by type of service, U.S. and foreign port, country of origin/destination,
commodity, value, weight, and containerized cargo.
MARAD distributes the reports and performs special tabulations and customized maritime data reports created for other
government agencies and the private sector on a reimbursable basis. MARAD also provides these services for historic data
and maintains the Schedule K Classification of Foreign Ports by Geographic Trade Area and Country.
Additional information:
Contact: USDOT, Maritime Administration, Office of Statistical and Economic Analysis
Print source: USDOT, Maritime Administration, Merchant Fleets of the World.
Internet: http://www.marad.dot.gov
Waterborne shipments data
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (Corps) Navigation Data Center (NDC) collects data on waterborne commodity and vessel
movements, domestic commercial vessel characteristics, port and waterway facilities, and navigation dredging projects.
The NDC's databases contain information on physical characteristics, infrastructure, and commodities for principal facilities
on the U.S. coast, Great Lakes, and inland ports. The data consists of listings of port area's waterfront facilities, including
information on berthing, cranes, transit sheds, grain elevators, marine repair plants, fleeting areas, and docking and storage
facilities.
All vessel operators of record report their domestic waterborne traffic movements to the Corps via ENG Forms 3925 and 3925b.
Cargo movements are reported according to points of loading and unloading. Excluded cargo movements are: 1) cargo carried
on general ferries, 2) coal and petroleum products loaded from shore facilities directly into vessels for fuel use,
3) military cargo moved in U.S. Department of Defense vessels, and 4) cargo weighing less than 100 tons moved on government
equipment. The Corps calculates ton-miles by multiplying the cargo's tonnage by the distance between points of loading and
unloading.
An annual survey of companies that operate inland waterway vessels is the principal source of data for inland non
self-propelled vessels, self-propelled vessels, and flag passenger and cargo vessels. More than 3,000 surveys are sent
to these companies, and response rates are typically above 90 percent.
Additional information:
Contact: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center
Print source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Commerce of the United
States. New Orleans, LA: Annual issues.
Internet: http://www.wrsc.usace.army.mil
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