2016Yearbook_Flipbook

2016

THE I SR I SCRAP YEARBOOK

How Is Scrap Transported?

The three most common modes of domestic scrap transport are by truck, rail, and barge, in addition to intermodal shipments that use more than one mode. Each mode of shipments has its own costs and benefits.

Barges and domestic waterborne shipments are a third major mode of transport for scrap. While adverse weather conditions can significantly impact barge traffic, barges are often the lowest-cost option on a per unit basis.

While shipping via trucks can be a high per-unit cost option, trucks are a significant mode of domestic transport for scrap, especially for intra- regional scrap flows.

The containerization of scrap shipments opened overseas markets to a much wider range of U.S.

scrap processors, although a large portion of U.S. scrap exports are still shipped as bulk (unpackaged) cargo. In 2015, the U.S. exported more than 37 million metric tons of scrap around the world. According to data from the United Nations Comtrade database, 190 million tons of scrap valued at more than $80 billion were exported globally in 2015.

Shipment by rail can be a less costly option per ton than trucking and railcars have a greater tonnage capacity than trucks, although during times of tight railcar availability this mode of transport can be less predictable. In the U.S., according to figures from the Association of American Railroads, more than 36 million tons of scrap and waste materials originated on Class I railroads in 2015.

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INSTITUTE OF SCRAP RECYCLING INDUSTRIES, INC.