Estimate barge rate
estimate_barge_rateRead-only
Estimate an inland waterway barge freight rate for a bulk commodity, origin, destination, distance, and weight, from USDA's weekly downbound grain barge rates. Only priced when both ends are Mississippi/Illinois/Ohio River ports, the lane runs downriver, and the shipment is at least one barge-load (~1,500 short tons, 3,000,000 lb); otherwise returns available: false with the reason. Priced on river miles. Returns a directional benchmark for planning. Each call counts as one estimate toward the account's monthly FreightFA allowance.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| origin | Yes | Origin city and state, e.g. 'Minneapolis, MN'. | |
| weight | Yes | Shipment weight in pounds. | |
| distance | Yes | Lane distance in miles. recommend_mode returns it for a city or ZIP pair. | |
| destination | Yes | Destination city and state, e.g. 'New Orleans, LA'. | |
| commodity_type | Yes | Commodity being shipped, e.g. 'grain', 'corn', 'coal'. Barge only carries bulk commodities. |