BTS reports surface trade with NAFTA partners is up 12.0 percent in October

The United States Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported this week that trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico was up 13.8 percent in October 2011 compared to October 2010, hitting $79.0 billion.

BTS officials said September was up 28.7 percent compared to October 2009 and 8.7 percent compared to October 2008

BTS said that the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in October was up 18.2 percent compared to October 2006 and up 65.9 percent compared to October 2001, with imports up 57.8 percent and exports up 76.4 percent during that ten-year period.

Surface transportation, according to the BTS, is comprised mainly of freight movements by truck, trail, and pipeline, mail and Foreign Trade Zones, and nearly 90 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moves by land. According to the BTS 85.6 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved on land in September, with 9.8 percent moving by vessel, and 4.5 percent by air.

The BTS said the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada was up 14.1 percent year-over-year in October at $46.4 billion. Michigan paced all states in surface trade with Canada in October at $5.7 billion for a 8.3 percent annual gain.

The value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Mexico was up 9.1 percent year over year in October at $32.6 billion. Texas led all states in surface trade with Mexico in October at $11.3 billion, up 3.8 percent annually.