The Bureau of Transportation Statistics released Freight Analysis Framework 6 at the end of July, replacing the previous benchmark with estimates built around the 2022 Commodity Flow Survey and other federal data sources.
FAF estimates freight tonnage and value by origin-destination pair, commodity, and mode. It is one of the broadest public views of how goods move across the United States, and the new benchmark changes the foundation under later forecasts and planning work.
The update is more than a new file. FAF 6 aligns its zone system with the 2022 Commodity Flow Survey, refreshes estimates for commodities outside that survey’s scope, and updates points of entry and exit used for crude petroleum and natural gas flows.
For a carrier, the framework can help identify the scale and composition of freight around a region. It can support questions about where commodity flows originate, where they terminate, how modes interact, and whether a market deserves deeper commercial research.
It cannot show which shipper will award freight, what a lane will pay next week, how long a facility holds drivers, or whether a reload is dependable. FAF is a strategic baseline, not a load board.
The first practical use is to test the network story management already believes. If the fleet describes a terminal as serving a growing manufacturing region, compare that claim with the relevant commodity flows and then check it against the carrier’s own customer and lane history.
Sales teams can use the data to build better questions. A large flow between two regions is not a prospect list, but it can focus research on the industries, facilities, and equipment types likely to participate in that movement.
Operations teams can use the framework differently. Compare directional flow with the fleet’s loaded and empty miles. A market that looks strong in aggregate may still be poorly balanced for the carrier’s equipment, customer mix, or delivery schedule.
Intermodal planners should pay attention to mode and gateway changes, particularly where a commodity crosses ports, rail ramps, pipelines, or border points before reaching a truck segment. The handoff matters as much as the line on the map.
Because FAF 6 is a benchmark change, teams should label the version used in every model. Comparing an old FAF 5 output with a new FAF 6 output as though both were built on the same geography and methods can create a false trend.
The forthcoming methodology report will add detail about inputs and updated methods. Until then, carriers should treat early comparisons carefully and retain the exact dataset version behind any conclusion.
Used well, FAF 6 is a map for deciding where to investigate. The profitable decision still comes from combining that public map with current rates, customer behavior, driver time, equipment fit, empty miles, and the fleet’s ability to execute consistently.