Research Progress Report 
376 August 1970
Truck Shipments of Grain from Indiana Country Elevators
1968-69 Marketing Year
Paul L. Farris
Department of Agricultural Economics
The latter part of the 1960's was a period of rapid change in U. S. grain transportation. Truck shipments increased substantially. By the end of the decade, railroads had begun some new approaches in their competition for grain traffic. These included "Rent-A-Train," whereby a shipper engages an entire train for long distance shipments of large quantities, and "Mini-Train, " which permits shippers to route trains of 6 to 10 cars rather rapidly over short distances to gather grain, mainly from country elevators, and transport it to terminals.
Transportation developments such as these are of considerable importance, not only to producers, processors and merchandisers of grain, but ultimately to consumers of grain products. Grain is a bulky commodity, and transportation costs make up a sizable portion of total marketing costs.
Changes in hauling rates, and in the availa-
bility of transportation services, have a direct bearing on competitive positions of business firms in all phases of the grain marketing system, including farm production. Moreover, innovative transportation developments usually affect particular producing areas in different ways. A procurement area served by a shipper who can take advantage of a reduced transportation rate or a new outlet usually tends to benefit relative to other geographic areas.
To determine what major changes in shipment patterns were in process in Indiana, a survey was undertaken in Autumn 1969. Country elevator managers were requested to provide data on volumes of grains handled, modes of shipment, and destinations of grain shipped by truck for the 1968-69 marketing year.* The results are highlighted in the following sections and reported in greater detail in Tables A-1 through A-11.

* Similar data for earlier years were reported in the following Purdue publications:
Farris, Paul L., 1958. Truck Movement of Grain and Feed in Indiana, Station Mimeo EC-158.
Farris,	Paul	L. and David A. Storey, 1959. Truck Shipments of Grain from Indiana Elevators, Station Mimeo EC-184.
Storey,	David A.	and Paul L. Farris, 1961. Truck Shipments of Grain from Indiana Elevators 1956-57 to 1958-59 Marketing Years, Station Mimeo EC-211.
Farris,	Paul	L.,	1964. Truck Shipments of Grain from Indiana Country Elevators, 1961-62 Marketing Year, Research	Progress	Report	105.
Farris,	Paul	L.,	1967. Truck Shipments of Grain from Indiana Country Elevators, 1965-66 Marketing Year, Research	Progress	Report	320.

PURDUE UNIVERSITY • Agricultural Experiment Station • Lafayette, Indiana