U.S. freight activity will grow 50 percent to 28.7 billion tons between 2020 and 2050, and will double in value to $36.2 trillion, according to an industry forecast recently published by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the Federal Highway Administration.
Data is from the Freight Analysis Framework (FAF), a publicly available, national-level dataset of freight movement in the United States. It provides information on the amount and types of goods moved by air, land, and sea between large metropolitan areas, states, and regions.
The predominant method for carrying freight is by trucks, and this is not forecasted to change. In 2021, trucks carry 65 percent of U.S. freight tonnage. Pipelines carry 18 percent of freight, rail carries 8 percent, water carries 5 percent, multiple modes of transportation carry 3 percent, and air carries less than 1 percent.
FAF forecasts are used to predict multimodal freight demand and to better inform policy and planning decisions. By anticipating needs, investments can be prioritized, and assessments and plans can be made on the impacts of policy changes affecting transportation modes, commodities, and the freight network.
Forecasts are made every five years to coordinate with the updated Commodity Flow Survey, the primary source of information for the FAF.