Transportation, Communications, Electric, Gas, and Sanitary Services

This division includes establishments providing the general public or business enterprises with passenger and freight transportation services; communications services; or electricity, gas, steam, water, or sanitary services. This division also includes all establishments of the United States Postal Service.

For many of the industries in this division, the establishments have activities, workers, and physical facilities distributed over an extensive geographic area. For this division, the establishment is represented by a relatively permanent office, shop, station, terminal, or warehouse that is either directly responsible for supervising such activities or that is the base from which personnel operate to carry out these activities.

Many of the industries are engaged in various related activities. For example, establishments of communications, pipeline, and utility enterprises include a variety of activities like power generation, pumping, transmission, and distribution. Establishments primarily engaged in such activities are all classified in this division.

The establishments classified in this division furnish services to the general public or to other business enterprises. Establishments that furnish similar services only to other establishments of the same enterprise are classified as auxiliary to the establishments or units of the enterprise they serve. However, separate establishments primarily engaged in long-distance trucking, stevedoring, water transportation, or pipeline transportation are classified according to their activity and not as auxiliaries, even though they serve only establishments of the same enterprise.