Questionnaires, Instructions, Cover Letter & Coding Manual

CFS-1100
(10-17-2006)

2007 Commodity Flow
Survey
INSTRUCTION GUIDE
Instructions for Completing the Commodity Flow Survey
Please read all instructions.

Contents:

• Part I — Instructions for Completing your Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 2–6
• Part II — Mode of Transportation Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7
• Part III — State Postal Abbreviation List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8

Instructions for completing the Commodity Flow Survey also are available on our
website at http://www.census.gov/CFS. If you need to contact us by telephone,
a representative will be glad to assist you. Call us at 1–800–772–7851. between
8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern time.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Research and Innovative Technology Administration

Economics and Statistics Administration

BUREAU OF TRANSPORTATION STATISTICS

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Part I — Instructions for Completing Your Questionnaire
Item A: Establishment Name:
Enter only if different from mailing address in label area.
Item B: Physical Location:
Enter only if different from mailing address in label area.
Item C: Operating Status:
Check the box that best describes this establishment’s operating status during the
designated reporting week.
If this establishment was inactive and made no outbound shipments during the
designated reporting week: skip to the end of the questionnaire to complete the
Contact information, and then return the form to the Census Bureau in the envelope
provided.
Item D1: Total Number of Outbound Shipments
Enter in the space provided your total number of outbound shipments for the one
week reporting period printed in Item D(1).
What we mean by a "shipment":
For the purposes of this survey, a shipment is a single consignment of
commodities or products from your establishment to a single customer or to
another specific location of your company transported in commerce, often with
a shipping document such as a manifest, bill of lading, or waybill.
"Commodities" refer to items that your location produces, sells, or distributes,
not to items that are considered by-products of your location’s operation.
A special note about "shipments":
A full, or partial, truckload should be counted as a single shipment only if all the
commodities on the truck are destined for one location. If a truck makes
multiple deliveries on a route, please count each stop as one shipment.
Include:
Include in this count any materials picked up by the customer ("customer
pick-up").
Include only those shipments from the location specified in Item B, or
label address if not changed.
Include shipments of commodities of all sizes, by any mode of
transportation (e.g., parcels).
Include any shipment of products from this establishment to another
location of the company if intended for sale (e.g., products moved from
this establishment to a company warehouse).
Do not include:
Do not include as shipments internal administrative items, such as
inter-office memos, payroll checks, business correspondence, etc.
Do not include as shipments such as refuse, scrap paper, waste, and
recyclable materials unless this establishment is in the business of selling
or providing these materials to others.
Do not include as shipments items moved from the establishment at this
location to another location of the company if not intended for
commercial activity (e.g., the transfer of office furniture from one location
of this company to another location of this company for use at the new
location).
Page 2

CFS-1100 (10-17-2006)

Part I — Instructions for Completing Your Questionnaire

Item D2: Total Number of Outbound Shipments
Check the appropriate box in Item D(2) to indicate whether this establishment
reported 40 or fewer shipments in Item D(1). If "Yes" is marked, skip to Item F
beginning on page 4 and report the information requested for all shipments made
during the assigned week.
If "No", continue with Item E on page 3 to determine the sample of shipments that
this establishment should report in Item F.
Item E: Sampling Instructions
If you have more than 40 outbound shipments for the one-week reporting period
you are asked to report only for a sample of them in Item F.
Item E provides instructions for selecting shipments for which to report in Item F.
For example, if in Item D1 you reported 150 outbound shipments for the one week
period:
Example
Using the table provided in Item E: Go to the line with the range in column 1 that
includes your total number of shipments for the week. In this example, row 4
(101-200), includes 150 so you would follow the instructions in column 2 which
reads, “Report every 5th outbound shipment”. You would then report the
following 30 shipments in Item F, beginning on Page 4 of the report form:
Line 1: your 5th outbound shipment
Line 2: your 10th outbound shipment
Line 3: your 15th outbound shipment
•
•
•
(continue with every 5th shipment)
•
•

•
•

•
•

Line 30: your 150th outbound shipment
When sampling your shipments, please use the files, or combination of files that
reflect the full range of your location’s shipping activities in terms of modes of transportation used, commodities or products shipped, and destinations.
We’re here to answer your questions! If you have questions about the sampling
process (or any part of the questionnaire) please visit our website at
www.census.gov/cfs or call us at 1-800-772-7851, from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Eastern
time.

CFS-1100 (10-17-2006)

Page 3

Part I — Instructions for Completing Your Questionnaire – Continued

Item F: Shipment Characteristics
• Shipment ID Number, Column (B) – Enter the invoice number, shipment

number, or some other unique identification number that your establishment could
use to find this particular shipping document if questions arise regarding your
report.
• Shipment Date, Column (C) – Enter the month and day of the shipment. If

shipment date is not available, use the invoice/shipping document date. Use
numbers only.
• Shipment Value, Column (D) – Enter the dollar value, in whole dollars, of the

entire shipment. The value should not include freight charges or excise taxes (i.e.,
report the net selling value, f.o.b. plant). If the value is not readily available from
your records, please estimate.
• Net Shipment Weight, Column (E) – Enter the net weight of the total shipment

in whole pounds. If net weight is not readily available from your records, please
estimate.
• SCTG Commodity Code, Column (F) – Please use the list of commodity codes

provided in the SCTG Commodity Codes booklet to select the proper code. For
shipments with more than one commodity, enter only the code for the commodity
with the greatest weight. For assistance in locating the appropriate commodity
code, refer to the alphabetized listing of selected commodities at the end of the
SCTG Commodity Codes Booklet. Additional assistance is available at our website
at www.census.gov/cfs, or you may call us at 1–800–772–7581 to speak with a
Census Bureau representative.
• Commodity Description, Column (G) – Enter a brief description of the

commodity shipped. For shipments with more than one commodity, describe only
the commodity with the greatest weight. Do not use trade names, catalog
numbers, or other codes not familiar to persons outside your business.

Net
Shipment weight
in pounds

(A)

(B)

0

123-5

4

26

244,235

4840

00

402H

4

26

1,375

50,125

(D)

SCTG
commodity
code from
accompanying
booklet

(E)

Commodity description

(F)

(G)

Continue with
column (H) on page 5

(C)

Shipment value
(excluding
shipping costs)
in whole
dollars
Estimates
acceptable.

Day

Your
Shipment
ID
Number

Shipment
date

Month

Line No.

Item F SHIPMENT CHARACTERISTICS

34520 Mechanical machinery

➜

20222 Sulfuric acid

➜

1
2
3
4
Mode of transport codes
for columns (j) and (m)

Page 4

1 — Parcel delivery, courier, or U.S.
Postal Service

2 — Private truck
3 — For-hire truck

4 — Railroad
Continued
CFS-1100 (10-17-2006)

Part I — Instructions for Completing Your Questionnaire – Continued
Item F: Shipment Characteristics – Continued
• For Hazardous Materials, Column (H) – If shipment is a hazardous material,

enter the 4-digit United Nations (UN) or North American (NA) number.
• U.S. Destination or U.S. Exit Port, Column (I) – For domestic shipments, enter

the city, state, and 5-digit ZIP Code of the buyer/receiver as it appears on the
shipping document. Use the "ship to" address. Use the two letter state postal
abbreviation shown in part III.
Important – For export shipments, report the U.S. port of exit as the
destination city. The port of exit is the port or airport from
which the shipment left the country. In case of land
shipments into Mexico or Canada, it is the border crossing.
• Mode(s) of Transport to U.S. Destination, Column (J) – Enter the code(s) for

all modes of transport used for the shipment to its U.S. destination (i.e., the
destination reported in column (I)). Codes are located on the bottom of pages 5
and 7 of the questionnaire. Enter in the sequence used, all that apply. See part II
for definitions of each mode.
For Customer Pick-up: Report the mode(s) of transportation used,
if known. Otherwise, report mode as "0" (unknown).
For Export Shipments: List only the mode(s) of transport used to
reach the U.S. port, airport, or border crossing of exit.

If a
hazardous
material,
enter the
"UN" or
"NA"
number

U.S. destination
or U.S. Exit Port
(Complete for all shipments.)
(I)
City

State

ZIP Code

Los Angeles

C A

90040

2, 4

Newark

N J

07105

4

(H)

1 8 3 0

CFS-1100 (10-17-2006)

Mode(s) of
transport to
U.S. destination
Enter all that
apply in
order used.
Use codes at
bottom.
(J)

Page 5

Part I — Instructions for Completing Your Questionnaire – Continued
Item F: Shipment Characteristics – Continued
•

Intermodal Shipment, Column (K) – An intermodal shipment is defined as a
shipment of a commodity that has been placed within a piece of transportation
equipment that is designed to be interchanged (transferred) between different
modes of transportation under a single rate (e.g., a single bill of lading). Examples
of intermodal transportation include the shipment of commodities in truck trailers
designed to be placed on railroad flat cars (TOFC); shipping containers designed to
be placed on railroad flat cars (COFC); or shipping containers for marine
transportation. Intermodal (IM or ISO) tanks designed for interchange between the
truck, rail and marine modes are also examples of intermodal transportation
reportable in the CFS.

• Export Shipment, Column (L) – Indicate whether or not the shipment is intended

for export outside of the United States, by entering a "Y" or "N" (yes or no). For
purposes of this survey, shipments to Puerto Rico and U.S. territories and
possessions are considered exports.
• Foreign Destination: City and Country, Column (M) – If the shipment is an

export, enter the foreign city and country of destination. For U.S. Destination,
Column (I), enter the U.S. port, airport, or border crossing of exit. In Column (J),
enter the mode of transport used to the U.S. destination.
• Export Mode, Column (N) – If the shipment is an export, enter the code for the

(L)

Y

Y

N

N

(M)
Country

City

Beijing

China

Line No.

Export? (Y/N)

(K)

Foreign Destination
(for export shipments only)
Note: In column (l) enter the U.S. port,
airport, or border crossing of exit.

Export mode

Intermodal
Shipment? (Y/N)*

mode of transport by which the shipment left the country. Codes are located at the
bottom of pages 5 and 7 of the questionnaire.

(N)

(O)

6

0
00
1
2
3
4

Item G: Monthly Value of Outbound Shipments
Please check the box that corresponds to the total value of all outbound
shipments from this location for the most recent month.
Contact
Please enter name and telephone number of the person to contact in the event
that we have a question about your report.

Page 6

CFS-1100 (10-17-2006)

Part II — Mode of Transportation Definitions

Parcel delivery/Courier/U.S. Parcel Post – Includes ground and air shipments of
packages and parcels that weigh less than 100 pounds.
Private truck – Trucks operated by employees of this establishment or the
buyer/receiver of the shipment. Includes trucks providing dedicated services to this
establishment.
For-hire truck – Shipments by common or contract carriers made under a
negotiated rate.
Railroad – Any common carrier or private railroad.
Shallow draft vessel – Barges, ships, or ferries operating on rivers and canals; in
harbors, the Great Lakes, the Saint Lawrence Seaway, the Intracoastal Waterway, the
Inside Passage to Alaska, major bays and inlets, or in the ocean close to the U.S.
shoreline.
Deep draft vessel – Barges, ships, or ferries operating primarily in the open ocean.
(Shipping on the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence Seaway is classified with
shallow draft vessels.)
Pipeline – Movements of oil, petroleum, gas, slurry, etc. through pipelines that
extend to other establishments or locations beyond the shipper’s establishment.
(Aqueducts for the movement of water are not included.)
Air – Any shipment by air that weighs 100 pounds or more.
Other mode – Any mode not listed above.
Unknown – A shipment where you are unable to determine the mode of
transportation.
Note: Transportation equipment that is "shipped" under its own power, such as
boats, barges, ferries, ships, aircraft, trucks, and trains should be classified with
the appropriate mode above. Transportation equipment shipped under its own
power for which an appropriate mode is not listed (e.g., buses, recreational vehicles)
should be listed as "other" mode.

CFS-1100 (10-17-2006)

Page 7

Part III — State Postal Abbreviation List

State

Abbrev.

State

Abbrev.

Alabama

AL

Montana

MT

Alaska

AK

Nebraska

NE

Arizona

AZ

Nevada

NV

Arkansas

AR

New Hampshire

NH

California

CA

New Jersey

NJ

Colorado

CO

New Mexico

NM

Connecticut

CT

New York

NY

Delaware

DE

North Carolina

NC

Dist. of Col.

DC

North Dakota

ND

Florida

FL

Ohio

OH

Georgia

GA

Oklahoma

OK

Hawaii

HI

Oregon

OR

Idaho

ID

Pennsylvania

PA

Illinois

IL

Rhode Island

RI

Indiana

IN

South Carolina

SC

Iowa

IA

South Dakota

SD

Kansas

KS

Tennessee

TN

Kentucky

KY

Texas

TX

Louisiana

LA

Utah

UT

Maine

ME

Vermont

VT

Maryland

MD

Virginia

VA

Massachusetts

MA

Washington

WA

Michigan

MI

West Virginia

WV

Minnesota

MN

Wisconsin

WI

Mississippi

MS

Wyoming

WY

Missouri

MO

NOTICE :
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 2
hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing
data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and
reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden
estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions
for reducing this burden, to: Paperwork Project 0607-XXXX, U.S. Census Bureau,
4700 Silver Hill Road, Stop 1500, Washington, DC 20233-1500. You may e-mail
comments to Paperwork@census.gov; use "Paperwork Project 0607-XXXX" as the
subject. Respondents are not required to respond to any information collection
unless it displays a valid approval number in the top right corner on the front of the
questionnaire.
Page 8

FORM CFS-1100 (10-17-2006)