U.S.-NAFTA Freight Sees 8.2 percent Annual Gain, reports BTS

By Staff
November 25, 2014

The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported this week that U.S. trade with its North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico increased 8.2 percent from September 2013 to September 2014 at $102.2 billion.

BTS said that U.S.-NAFTA trade has been up for compared to the same month of the previous year for seven straight months and has been above $100 billion for seven straight months.

BTS said that commodities moving by pipeline led all modes, increased by 21.0 percent, and truck freight was up 8.6 percent, which was followed by vessel, air, and rail at 5.4 percent, 2.2 percent, and 0.6 percent, respectively.

Truck freight contributed $4.9 billion to the $7.8 billion increase in September, with pipeline next at $1.4 billion.

BTS said trucks haul three-fifths of U.S.-NAFTA freight and accounted for $31.2 billion of exports and $30.1 billion of imports. Rail is the second largest mode at 15.0 percent of all U.S.-NAFTA freight, with vessel, pipeline, and air at 8.4 percent, 7.9 percent, and 3.7 percent, respectively.