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Freight Analysis Framework

Commodity Flow Survey virtual Workshop rescheduled for September 24

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) will hold a virtual workshop on the future of the Commodity Flow Survey and related national freight data programs on Thursday, September 24 from 11am-3pm (more details to follow shortly).  The Commodity Flow Survey 2020 workshop will facilitate discussion among federal, state, and local level planners, as well as transportation researchers, academics, and practitioners that use federal freight transportation data. The workshop is an opportunity for data producers and data users to work together to find more efficient ways to align the CFS with the FAF to answer more freight data questions, share information and knowledge, and come up with emerging issues that are important for understanding freight movements.

The workshop is sponsored by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, and features participants from partner agencies such as the Census Bureau and the Federal Highway Administration. Additional information can be found on the TRB event page. We hope you will be able to attend. Please direct any questions to cfs@dot.gov.

About the Freight Analysis Framework

The Freight Analysis Framework (FAF), produced through a partnership between BTS and FHWA, integrates data from a variety of sources to create a comprehensive picture of freight movement among states and major metropolitan areas by all modes of transportation. Starting with data from the Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) and international trade data from the Census Bureau, FAF incorporates data from agriculture, extraction, utility, construction, service, and other sectors.

FAF version 4 (FAF4) provides estimates for tonnage, value, and ton-miles by regions of origin and destination, commodity type, and mode. Data are available for the base year of 2012, the recent years of 2013-2018, and forecasts from 2020 through 2045 in 5-year intervals. Data may be accessed through the Data Extraction Tool, a set of new interactive web-based dashboards, and downloadable summary files or complete databases.

The creation of the fifth generation of FAF (FAF5) is underway, and the initial release is expected in late 2020.
 

Data Tabulation Tool

The Data Tabulation Tool enables users to create and download customized FAF4 summary tables.
 

Data Analysis in Dashboards

A set of interactive web-based dashboards helps users analyze data by time, geography, commodity, mode, and trade type.
 

Data Files

Regional Database of tonnage, value, and ton-miles by FAF regions of origin and destination, commodity type, and mode. Data are also available for optimistic (“high”) and pessimistic (“low”) growth scenarios. Weights are in thousands of tons, activity is in millions of ton-miles, values for the full time period covered (2012-45) are in millions of 2012 constant dollars, and values for recently completed years (2013-18) are also available in millions of current dollars. Files are available in .csv and MS Access formats.

State Database of tonnage, value, and ton-miles by states of origin and destination, commodity type, and mode. Data are also available for optimistic (“high”) and pessimistic (“low”) growth scenarios. Weights are in thousands of tons, activity is in millions of ton-miles, values for the full time period covered (2012-45) are in millions of 2012 constant dollars, and values for recently completed years (2013-18) are also available in millions of current dollars. Files are available in .csv and MS Access formats.

Historic Series Database of tonnage, value, and ton-miles by states of origin and destination, commodity type, and mode. Weights are in thousands of tons, activity is in millions of ton-miles, and values are available both in millions of 2012 constant dollars and in millions of current dollars. Data for earlier years is only available at the state level, and all fields are defined by FAF4 standards. Files are available in .csv format.

A single .csv file at the regional level of geography with each data element in a single column is available here (346 MB). This file covers 2012-2045.

A single .csv file at the state level of geography with each data element in a single column is available here (116 MB). This file covers 1997-2045.
 

Network Database and Flow Assignment

The FAF Network Assignment estimates freight volumes and truck movements over the nation's highway network. The network is available in both ESRI and TransCAD formats.
 

Schedule of Releases

Version 4.5.1 is the last data release for FAF4. The next generation, FAF5, is under development and will have products released beginning late 2020. The initial data product will be the base-year matrix built using estimates from the 2017 CFS. A follow-up release will have forecasts for 2025-2050, as well as annual data for 2018 and 2019 rebaselined to 2017. Other 2017-based data products will follow.


FAF4 Documentation

FAF4 Frequently Asked Questions
FAF4 Users Guide
FAF4 Base Matrix Development
FAF4 Forecast Report
FAF4 Version Descriptions
FAF4 and 2012 CFS Domestic Area Definitions
FAF4 and 2012 CFS Commodity Codes
 

FAF Quarterly Webinar

Please join BTS and the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Freight Management and Operations for periodic webinars on FAF. The date of the next webinar is upcoming.

Archived Webinars


Related Information

FAF3 data and documentation are archived here.

Information on FAF1 and FAF2 available upon request from faf@dot.gov.

Updated: Wednesday, June 17, 2020