The United States Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) said this week that trade using all forms of freight transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico fell 4.0 percent annually in March to $95.6 billion.
Previously, BTS has only measured this trade data by surface transportation modes, but it is now based on trucks, rail, ocean vessels, pipelines, and air.
BTS said trucks accounted for 60.0 percent of total freight moved between the U.S. and its NAFTA partners, with rail at 16.5 percent, ocean vessels at 8.1 percent, pipelines at 7.0 percent, and air at 3.7 percent, adding that trucks, rail, and pipeline accounted for 83.5 percent of total NAFTA freight flows in March.
U.S.-Canada surface transportation trade in March came in at $54.3 billion. Michigan paced all states in trade at $6.5 billion. BTS said trucks accounted for 55.1 percent of this trade activity, followed by rail at 17.9 percent, pipelines at 11.6 percent, vessels at 4.6 percent, and air at 4.4 percent. Truck, rail and pipeline accounted for 84.6 percent of total U.S.-Canada trade, said BTS.
The value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Mexico was $41.3 billion in March. Texas led all states in surface trade with Mexico at $15.7 billion. Trucks represented 66.5 percent, with rail at 14.8 percent, ocean vessels next at 12.7 percent, and air and pipelines at 2.7 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively. Truck, rail, and pipeline represented 82.0 percent of total monthly trade with Mexico.