Freight Analysis

Freight Analysis is the study of how goods move through transportation networks by truck, rail, water, air, and pipeline, examining volumes, commodities, origins, destinations, routes, and the infrastructure that supports these movements. Understanding freight patterns is critical for economic competitiveness, infrastructure investment, environmental management, and community quality of life in areas affected by freight traffic. The Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) maintained by FHWA and BTS provides national and state-level commodity flow data that can be mapped and analyzed in GISGISGeographic Information Systems (GIS) enable users to analyze and visualize spatial data to uncover patterns, relation.... Origin-destination freight flow matrices quantify tonnage and value moving between regions by mode. Network assignment models route freight trips through highway and rail networks to estimate volumes on specific corridors. Facility analysis evaluates capacity at ports, intermodal terminals, warehouses, and distribution centers. Applications include state freight plans that prioritize infrastructure investments, last-mile delivery optimization in urban areas, truck route designation that balances efficiency with neighborhood impacts, intermodal facility siting that optimizes connections between truck and rail, and environmental assessment of freight corridor emissions. Supply chain resilience analysis identifies vulnerabilities in freight networks to disruptions from natural disasters, infrastructure failures, or geopolitical events. Cities increasingly address urban freight challenges through off-peak delivery programs, consolidation centers, and cargo bike initiatives.