2027 Commodity Flow Survey

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CFS-L1
(Draft)





A Message from the Director, U.S. Census Bureau:

We request your cooperation in the 2027 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS). This survey is conducted every five years in partnership with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to provide important statistics about the movement of goods in the United States. The data are used by policy makers and transportation planners in various federal, state, and local agencies to assess the demand for transportation facilities and services, energy use, safety risks, and environmental concerns.
To preview a list of questions for the survey, go to https://www.census.gov/cfs and click on “Information for Respondents”. The survey will include questions about company contact information, shipment value, shipment weight, commodity, mode of transportation, destination ZIP Code, and export city and country (if applicable).
Please report for one week per quarter for the calendar year 2027. You will receive quarterly correspondence prior to each collection to prompt you for the next quarter.
Authentication Code:
Reporting Period:
Due Date:
Account Manager:
    1. Register OR sign in at https://portal.census.gov
    2. Add your authentication code.
    3. Report by clicking on “REPORT NOW.” You can return to your account over multiple sessions to complete the survey.
YOUR RESPONSE IS REQUIRED BY LAW and will be kept strictly CONFIDENTIAL. Information about the authority, confidentiality, and burden of this data collection can be found at the back of this letter.
For assistance with completing this survey, please sign into your Census Bureau account or call our customer help line at 1-888-817-2154, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Thank you in advance for your time and participation, and for helping the U.S. Census Bureau measure America’s people and economy.
Sincerely,


George M. Cook
Performing the Non-Exclusive Functions and Duties of the Director





OMB Number
This collection has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The eight-digit OMB approval number is 0607-0932 and appears in the top right corner of each reporting screen. Without this approval, we could not conduct this survey.
Authority and Continentality
Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), Sections 8(b), 131, and 193; and Title 49 U.S.C., Section 6302, authorize this collection. Sections 224 and 225 of Title U.S.C. require your response. The U.S. Census Bureau is required by Section 9 of the same law to keep your information confidential and use your responses only to produce statistics. The law also provides that copies of your report retained in your files are immune from legal process. The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify your business, organization, or institution. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data.
Burden Estimate Statement
We estimate the Commodity Flow Survey will take an average of 1.5 hours to complete. Factors such as company size, complexity and activity will affect your actual time to complete the survey. This estimate includes the time to review instructions, search existing data sources, gather, and maintain the data needed, and complete and review the survey.