Grain and Oilseed Shipment Sizes and Distance Hauled by Rail

摘要

Grain and railroads have an interdependent relationship. Grain is one of the most important commodities for railroads. It is the primary agricultural commodity moved by rail, comprising 7.9% by tons of all commodities, 94% by tons of all farm commodities, and 8.4% of total rail revenue in 2009. In turn, railroads represent a vital component of the grain network, hauling 33% of all grain transported in the United States in 2007. As domestic and export markets have evolved, railroads have continuously made efficiency strides through shuttle trains and the length of haul. Since 1994, grain and oilseed transportation has moved from small shipment sizes to shuttle-size shipments (75 or more railcars) for many grains and oilseeds, reflecting the lower costs of shuttle-size shipments, more domestic destinations capable of unloading shuttle-size shipments, and increased grain and oilseed exports in some years. In addition, the length of haul has increased for grains and oilseeds, reflecting comparative advantages of rail compared to truck on longer hauls, lower rail tariffs per mile for longer hauls, and changing grain and oilseed markets. However, development of the shuttle market has occurred differently among grain types and has not been explored at the individual commodity level. This paper uses the Surface Transportation Board Confidential Waybill Samples to quantify the changes in shipment size and length of haul for each major grain and oilseed (corn, soybean, wheat, sorghum, and barley) from 1994 to 2009. Changes in shipment size and length of haul are compared to production and usage changes for each of the major grains and oilseeds to gain more insight into the underlying reasons behind the changes. Categories for changes in shipment size include 1 to 5 railcars, 6 to 49 railcars, 50 to 74 railcars, and 75 or more railcars. Categories for distance shipped include 20 to 500 miles, 501 to 1,000 miles, 1,001 to 1,500 miles, and more than 1,500 miles. This procedure improves upon earlier analyses of the grain shuttle-size market by exploring the changes at the individual commodity level.