U.S.-NAFTA freight is up 5.3 percent annually in March

The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported this week that U.S. trade with its North America Free Trade Agreement partners Canada and Mexico in March dropped 5.3 percent annually to $96.1 billion.

BTS said that truck, rail, air each carried more U.S.-NAFTA freight compared to March 2014, with pipeline and vessel down due to the reduced unit price of mineral fuel shipments.

In March 2015 compared to March 2014, BTS said the value of commodities moving by air grew by the largest percentage of any mode, 6.0 percent. Rail freight increased by 1.5 percent and truck freight increased by 0.9 percent. Vessel freight decreased by 30.3 percent and pipeline freight decreased by 41.6 percent mainly due to the lower unit price of mineral fuel shipments.

Trucks carried 64.0 percent of U.S.-NAFTA freight and are the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.-NAFTA partners. Trucks accounted for $30.6 billion of the $51.2 billion of imports (59.8 percent) and $30.9 billion of the $44.9 billion of exports (68.9 percent).

Rail remained the second largest mode, moving 15.8 percent of all U.S.-NAFTA freight, followed by vessel, 6.2 percent; pipeline, 5.1 percent; and air, 4.1 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 84.9 percent of the total U.S.-NAFTA freight flows.

U.S.-Canada freight in March reached $50.8 billion for a 1.0 percent annual gain. And U.S.-Mexico trade was up 15.7 percent at $45.2 billion.