Federal obligations in freight transportation arrangement (NAICS 488510)

Arranging freight, not hauling it, at $792.4M

Freight transportation arrangement firms book, consolidate, and document shipments. Federal buyers use that intermediation for domestic and international cargo. USAspending tags $792.4M of contract obligations to NAICS 488510 on 935 awards. The total is not ton-miles and not a count of containers.

Port and harbor operations (488310) and other support activities for water transportation (488390) are different 488-series codes. Scheduled air carriers sit elsewhere. $792.4M follows the 488510 arrangement tag. Packet facts are the dollar total and the 935 count.

935 awards and a broker-scale average

Nine hundred thirty-five awards against $792.4M averages about $848,000 per action. That size fits multi-lane logistics vehicles better than a single bill of lading. Task orders and modifications still increment 935, so the count is not unique brokers and not unique shipments.

A small number of government-wide freight-arrangement contracts can dominate $792.4M. Amount sort on the industry hub shows that concentration against the rest of the 935 rows. Treat the average as a divider, not a typical booking fee.

Brokerage vehicles can look like carrier vehicles in a vendor name field. The NAICS tag is the split this page respects. $792.4M on 935 awards stays with 488510. Port ops and residual marine support remain 488310 and 488390. No ton-mile series is in the facts, so none is quoted.

Brokers versus operators

488510 arranges transportation. Water-transport support (488390) and special-needs passenger transportation (485991) are different. Dual-role firms that both broker and operate can be tagged either way. $792.4M stays with 488510 on 935 tagged actions.

Quote this industry as $792.4M in USAspending contract obligations tagged to NAICS 488510, freight transportation arrangement, on 935 awards. No fiscal year is in the packet. Live tables can move after modifications; the harvested pair remains $792.4M and 935.

Obligation ledgers on logistics vehicles

Arrangement contracts often obligate a ceiling and pay as shipments clear. $792.4M is committed value on 935 tagged actions, not every freight invoice already paid. Cancellations de-obligate. Outlays are a separate USAspending field.

Mis-tags appear when an award mixes forwarding with actual carriage. Keep $792.4M on 488510 as recorded, then read descriptions on the 935 rows. This overlay does not add carrier or port-operations dollars into the arrangement cell.

Hub path for 488510

The freight transportation arrangement industry page lists the 935 awards behind $792.4M. The all-industries directory opens other 488-series and passenger-transport codes without merging their obligations here. Source: USAspending.gov contract awards.

Assistance without NAICS remains outside even when a grant funds similar logistics. Internal links on this file are only the 488510 hub and the industry directory.

Arrangement is intermediation. Carriage, port operations, and special-needs passenger transit are different NAICS problems. $792.4M on 935 awards is the 488510 brokerage tag. Ton-miles are not in the packet. Anyone quoting this total as 'federal freight spending' without the NAICS and the word obligations overstates the extract. Source: USAspending.gov.

Brokerage ledgers versus carriage ledgers

A freight forwarder can book a shipment that a carrier later moves under a different NAICS. $792.4M on 935 awards is the 488510 arrangement tag, not ton-miles and not port operations (488310) or residual water-transport support (488390). The about $848,000 average fits multi-lane vehicles; it is not a bill-of-lading fee.

Government-wide logistics contracts generate delivery orders that increment 935 without incrementing unique brokers. Amount sort on the freight transportation arrangement industry page shows concentration inside $792.4M. Special-needs passenger transit (485991) is a passenger code, not cargo brokerage.

Quote $792.4M in USAspending contract obligations tagged to NAICS 488510, freight transportation arrangement, on 935 awards. Dollars are obligations, not outlays. Assistance awards may not carry NAICS. The packet has no fiscal year. Internal links are the 488510 hub and the all-industries directory. Source: USAspending.gov contract awards.

Questions

How much federal contracting is coded to freight transportation arrangement?

NAICS 488510 shows $792.4M in obligations on 935 USAspending contract awards. That is freight brokers and forwarders as tagged, not the carriers that move cargo. The unit is obligations, not outlays or ton-miles. Assistance awards may not carry NAICS, so grants remain outside the 935-award extract behind $792.4M.

Does 488510 include port operations?

No. Port and harbor operations are NAICS 488310. Other water-transport support is 488390. This page’s $792.4M is the 488510 arrangement tag on 935 awards. Special-needs passenger transportation (485991) is a different passenger code, not freight brokerage.

Why is the average award about $848,000?

Dividing $792.4M by 935 awards yields about $848,000 per action. That fits multi-lane logistics vehicles, but task orders also increment count. It is not unique brokers and not unique shipments. Sort the hub by amount to see whether a few large rows drive most of the tagged total.

Are logistics grants in this total?

Usually not. Assistance awards may not carry NAICS, so they fall outside this 935-award contract extract. Use program pages for grants. This industry guide covers tagged contracts only: $792.4M obligated on 935 freight transportation arrangement awards in USAspending. Outlays are a different field.