Scope, Comparability, Shipment Characteristics, and Special Measurement Issues

摘要

The first four workshops of this conference focused on the scope, data comparability across years and with other data sources, shipment characteristics, and special measurement issues of the Commodity Flow Survey (CFS). Scope workshop participants initiated their discussion with a delineation of five areas of concern: 1. Limitations of the sampling frame as drawn from the Census Bureau's Business Register result in out-of-scope establishments being selected. 2. Changing from Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) linked classification of commodities to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) has impacted the sampling frame. 3. Growth of auxiliaries has and will impact the CFS. 4. Growth of third-party logistics (3PL) firms has and will impact the CFS. 5. Different understandings of intermodalism are impacting how CFS surveys are completed and interpreted.