7.3.11 Freight

Truck freight can be an important part of the overall characteristics of a corridor. Data related to truck freight could be helpful in determining future needs for the corridor. The following sources could be used to determine truck freight traffic:
  • New classification counts;
  • Truck percentage from TxDOT’s Statewide Planning Map;
  • Classification counts from TxDOT’s STARS II database;
  • TxDOT’s Weigh-in-Motion System. TxDOT has developed a statewide network of stations that collects data on vehicle classification and weights. This data also includes date, time, vehicle length by axle spacing, axle weight, and speed. This information can be valuable for evaluating the movement of truck traffic and freight flows along a route/corridor;
  • Transearch. TxDOT’s Transearch data from IHS Markit can be used to determine historical truck traffic and projected freight flows for up to 30 years into the future. Freight information can be filtered by origin, destination, commodity, and transportation mode. Transearch has county-level freightmovement data. The data is classified by:
    • Inbound, outbound, intrastate, and through traffic
    • Tonnage and value
    • Commodity type
  • Bureau of Transportation Statistics. This agency provides data and statistics on commodity flow surveys, freight indicators, freight transportation, and much more
Additional information regarding freight analysis and data types is presented in
Chapter 14
. Some of these data sources may need a licensing agreement or non-disclosure agreement from TxDOT to allow the requester access.