Transportation news: BTS said US June surface trade with Canada and Mexico is up year-over-year

Staff -- Logistics Management, 9/2/2008

WASHINGTON—Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico was up 6.6 percent in June 2008 compared to June 2007 and reached $74.1 billion, according to data released by the United States Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

Surface transportation, according to the BTS, is comprised mainly of freight movements by truck, trail, and pipeline, and roughly 90 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moves by land. On a monthly basis, the BTS reported that the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico was up 0.015 percent in June from May.

And the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in March was up 56.3 percent compared to June 2003, and up 97.3 percent compared to June 1998, noted the BTS. It added that June 2008 imports were up 106.4 percent compared to June 1998, and exports were up 86.8 percent.

In June, U.S.-Canada surface transportation trade came in at $48.9 billion, representing an 8.7 percent increase year over year, with Michigan leading all states in surface trade with Canada in June at $6.5 billion. The BTS said the value of imports carried by truck was down 1.4 percent in June 2008 compared to June 2007, and the value of exports carried by truck was up 8.2 percent.    

Transportation trade between the United States and Mexico came in at $25.2 billion in June, which was up from June 2007 by 2.9 percent. Imports carried by truck were valued at 1.1 percent higher than June 2007, said the BTS, and the value of exports carried by truck was up 7.4 percent. And Texas led all states in surface trade with Mexico in December with $7.2 billion.