Weekly barge rates for downbound freight originating from seven locations along the Mississippi River System, which includes the Mississippi River and its tributaries (e.g., Upper Mississippi River, Illinois River, Ohio River, etc.). The seven locations are: (1) "Twin Cities," a stretch along the Upper Mississippi; (2) "Mid-Mississippi," a stretch between eastern Iowa and western Illinois; (3) "Illinois River," along the lower portion of the Illinois River; (4) "St. Louis"; (5) "Cincinnati," along the middle third of the Ohio River; (6) "Lower Ohio," approximately the final third of the Ohio River; and (7) "Cairo-Memphis," from Cairo, IL, to Memphis, TN (see map under Attachments).

The U.S. Inland Waterway System utilizes a percent-of-tariff system to establish barge freight rates. The tariffs were originally from the Bulk Grain and Grain Products Freight Tariff No. 7, which were issued by the Waterways Freight Bureau (WFB) of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). In 1976, the United States Department of Justice entered into an agreement with the ICC and made Tariff No. 7 no longer applicable. Today, the WFB no longer exists, and the ICC has become the Surface Transportation Board, which does not have jurisdiction over barge rates on the inland waterways. However, the barge industry continues to use the tariffs as benchmarks for rate units.

Each city on the river has its own benchmark, with the northern most cities having the highest benchmarks. They are as follows: Twin Cities = 619; Mid-Mississippi = 532; St. Louis = 399; Illinois = 464; Cincinnati = 469; Lower Ohio = 446; and Cairo-Memphis = 314.

To calculate the rate in dollars per ton, multiply the percent of tariff rate by the 1976 benchmark and divide by 100: (Rate * 1976 tariff benchmark rate per ton)/100. As an example, a 271 percent tariff for a St. Louis grain barge would equal 271 percent of the St. Louis benchmark rate of $3.99, or $10.81 per ton.

This dataset contains national and regional quarterly truck rates for short haul (25 miles) and long haul (100 and 200 miles).

Fuel surcharge data is collected monthly from individual railroad websites. Fuel surcharges apply per mile per car. They are typically billed on top of tariff rates, but note that tariff- and contract-specific fuel surcharges may differ from the reported surcharge. For instance, BNSF publishes three separate fuel surcharge series, based on different strike prices. Their $1.25 strike price was in effect on some grain tariffs prior to March 2011, when the $2.50 strike price calculation went into effect. In February 2015, BNSF removed the fuel surcharge from its grain tariffs. In January 2021, BNSF added the fuel surcharge back to its grain tariffs at the $3.25 strike price. All three series are included in this dataset.

This dataset contains average weekly bids/offers ($/car) among grain shippers in the "secondary railcar auction market" for guaranteed rail freight in near and future months. Railroads auction freight in the "primary railcar auction market," and grain shippers can trade this freight among themselves in the secondary railcar auction market.

These railcar markets evolved to enable rail movements of grain to be more responsive to market pressures. Published tariff rates tend to reflect the most likely market conditions to prevail given historical precedence and future expectations; railroads adjust many of their tariff rates only once or twice per year in order to set longer term prices that account for their fixed assets and optimize their networks. Furthermore, railroads are required by law to give a 20-day notice prior to changing tariffs. Therefore, rail rates are more insulated than other modes from weekly market changes and unexpected events, including weather or transportation service disruptions. But in the short term, as new information enters the market, the optimal allocation of railcar supply with shipper demand may no longer be most efficiently allocated by the prices set by tariff rates alone. This was a characteristic of rail service prior to the late 1980’s when service was priced at the tariff rate and available on a first-come-first-served basis.

Forward-guaranteed railcar service contracts were an innovation first offered by railroads in the late 1980’s. These contracts offer guaranteed railcar deliveries within a specific time frame and serve as instruments against risk caused by unexpected events. They allow the supply of railcars to be continually reallocated among shippers through an auction bidding process as new information comes into the market, providing an alternative to first-come-first-served service purchased through tariff rates. There are two types of railcar auction markets—the primary market, in which service contracts are originally sold by railroads to shippers, and the secondary market, in which shippers resell service contracts among themselves. Sales in the primary market are administered by the railroads; sales in the secondary market are administered by third-party brokers.

For more information on this markets, see the feature article in the February 19, 2015 Grain Transportation Report (link provided below).

This chart shows the national and regional quarterly grain truck rates for short haul (25 miles) and long haul (100 and 200 miles). Use the filters on the right to choose a specific date, year, quarter, distance or region.

Weekly barge rates in future months for downbound freight originating from seven locations along the Mississippi River System. This dataset shows rates for transactions three months in the future.

The U.S. Inland Waterway System utilizes a percent-of-tariff system to establish barge freight rates. The tariffs were originally from the Bulk Grain and Grain Products Freight Tariff No. 7, which were issued by the Waterways Freight Bureau (WFB) of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). In 1976, the United States Department of Justice entered into an agreement with the ICC and made Tariff No. 7 no longer applicable. Today, the WFB no longer exists, and the ICC has become the Surface Transportation Board, which does not have jurisdiction over barge rates on the inland waterways. However, the barge industry continues to use the tariffs as benchmarks for rate units.

Each city on the river has its own benchmark, with the northern most cities having the highest benchmarks. They are as follows: Twin Cities = 619; Mid-Mississippi = 532; St. Louis = 399; Illinois = 464; Cincinnati = 469; Lower Ohio = 446; and Cairo-Memphis = 314.

To calculate the rate in dollars per ton, multiply the percent of tariff rate by the 1976 benchmark and divide by 100: (Rate * 1976 tariff benchmark rate per ton)/100. As an example, a 271 percent tariff for a St. Louis grain barge would equal 271 percent of the St. Louis benchmark rate of $3.99, or $10.81 per ton.

The data shows the cost of shipping grain from the U.S. Gulf and Pacific Northwest to Japan in dollars per metric ton.

Weekly barge rates in future months for downbound freight originating from seven locations along the Mississippi River System. This dataset contains rates for transactions one month in the future.

The seven locations are: (1) "Twin Cities," a stretch along the Upper Mississippi; (2) "Mid-Mississippi," a stretch between eastern Iowa and western Illinois; (3) "Illinois River," along the lower portion of the Illinois River; (4) "St. Louis"; (5) "Cincinnati," along the middle third of the Ohio River; (6) "Lower Ohio," approximately the final third of the Ohio River; and (7) "Cairo-Memphis," from Cairo, IL, to Memphis, TN.

The U.S. Inland Waterway System utilizes a percent-of-tariff system to establish barge freight rates. The tariffs were originally from the Bulk Grain and Grain Products Freight Tariff No. 7, which were issued by the Waterways Freight Bureau (WFB) of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). In 1976, the United States Department of Justice entered into an agreement with the ICC and made Tariff No. 7 no longer applicable. Today, the WFB no longer exists, and the ICC has become the Surface Transportation Board, which does not have jurisdiction over barge rates on the inland waterways. However, the barge industry continues to use the tariffs as benchmarks for rate units.

Each city on the river has its own benchmark, with the northern most cities having the highest benchmarks. They are as follows: Twin Cities = 619; Mid-Mississippi = 532; St. Louis = 399; Illinois = 464; Cincinnati = 469; Lower Ohio = 446; and Cairo-Memphis = 314.

To calculate the rate in dollars per ton, multiply the percent of tariff rate by the 1976 benchmark and divide by 100: (Rate * 1976 tariff benchmark rate per ton)/100. As an example, a 271 percent tariff for a St. Louis grain barge would equal 271 percent of the St. Louis benchmark rate of $3.99, or $10.81 per ton.

This chart shows the average quarterly truck rates to Southern Ports for three selected routes. The filters can be used to select different origins and destinations.

This chart shows the quarterly ocean freight rates from Brazil to China and German, averaged across Brazil export ports. Use the filters to select specific export ports or date ranges.