Gaining a More Complete Picture of North Dakota Freight Transportation

Posted: Apr 24, 2026

Freight transportation is a critical link in the ND economy, but data on freight transportation are scattered and incomplete. UGPTI researchers are working to remedy that.

Prompted by discussion during the 2023-2024 legislative session, UGPTI researchers Alan Dybing and Del Peterson are collecting and analyzing data on freight movements within the state. This information will be useful to policymakers, planners, and others interested in trends and changes in freight transportation in North Dakota.

"Freight movements are a substantial part of the state's economy, supporting its location as a national crossroads and gateway for the United States," Peterson said. "Freight modes, including truck, rail, pipeline, and air cargo, are crucial in transporting goods and commodities throughout the national and international supply chain. As the worldwide economy continues to evolve, it is vital that North Dakota maintain and improve upon its current freight network to compete in an ever-changing global marketplace. Our data and analysis support those efforts."

Current efforts at UGPTI focus on 1) developing summaries on freight movement based on data from the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Agriculture data, 2) surveying agricultural processors to learn more about how they receive raw materials and ship their finished products, and 3) collecting information on farm and commercial trucks across the state.

Freight Summaries

The summaries will highlight the various modes and commodities that play a significant role in North Dakota's freight network. The data will include inbound and outbound freight movements by mode, movements within the state, international freight movements, and movements by commodity.

"The summaries will provide a snapshot of primary freight movements within the state, and could be used for public and private transportation planning, Dybing said.

The summaries' data sources include the 2023 North Dakota Traffic report, the USDOT Freight Analysis Framework (FAF), and the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The ND Traffic Report-assembled by the ND Department of Transportation (NDDOT) Planning and Asset Management Division-provides data on traffic counts; travel by hour, month, and season; and vehicle miles traveled. The data also distinguish between various types of vehicles ranging from passenger cars to multi-trailer trucks. The FAF database provides estimates of U.S. freight flows and includes all modes of transportation and 42 commodity types. NASS collects data on agricultural production by commodity on a per-county basis.

Processor Surveys

The researchers will survey the state's 25 largest ag processors-primarily ethanol producers and soybean crushing plants-to learn where they source the crops they process and where they ship the resulting ethanol and soybean oil and meal. "Those industries are significant drivers behind freight movements in the state," Dybing said. "If we can get a picture of their impact, it is a significant step toward getting a better understanding of freight movement in the state overall."

The researchers also plan to survey more than 700 other manufacturers across the state to learn more about how they receive raw materials and supplies, what finished products they produce, and how they ship them. Those data will refine the overview of freight movement in the state.

Collecting Truck Data

The researchers are also collecting information from trucking companies across the state to update UGPTI's long-standing motor carrier directory. The directory includes contact information for trucking information along with the number of tractors and trailers available, whether they are for-hire or part of a fleet, the type of cargo they typically move, and the volume of cargo moved by freight category. The online directory serves as a resource for the state's shippers.

Dybing and Peterson are also sifting through information from NDDOT on farm trucks. For the state's 33,000 farm trucks manufactured since 1980, NDDOT's Driver and Vehicle Services collects the date of manufacture, the vehicle identification number (VIN), and the county where the truck is registered. With the VIN number, the researchers were able to obtain information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to identify the body types of the trucks. Newer trucks were mostly semi-tractors while older trucks were primarily tandems.

"The information will give us an overview of the state's farm truck fleet," Dybing said. "We'll see the average age of trucks, how often they're being replaced, and be able to identify trends in terms of truck size and use on farms across the state."

Adding to UGPTI's Resources

The information from the freight summaries, the processor and manufacturer surveys, and the truck surveys will add to UGPTI's library of resources on freight movement in the state. For more than 50 years, UGPTI has collected grain oilseed movement data from elevators in the state to describe distribution patterns and shipment characteristics-including destination, mode, origin, time, and commodity. The data are used to encourage competition within the grain industry and to identify research needs and market trends.