U.S.-NAFTA freight up again in January, reports BTS

United States trade with its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico headed up 6.7 percent to $88 billion on an annual basis in January, the most recent month for which data is available, according to the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

This marks the fourth increase in the last six months and the third straight month there has been an annual increase, as well as the largest annual increase going back to September 2014.

Trucks carried 62.5 percent of U.S.-NAFTA freight in January and continued to be the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.-NAFTA partners. Trucks accounted for $28.2 billion of the $47.8 billion of imports (59.1 percent) and $26.8 billion of the $40.2 billion of exports (66.6 percent). Rail followed trucking, moving 15.0 percent of all U.S.-NAFTA freight, followed by vessel at 7.0 percent, pipeline at 6.4 percent, and air at 3.9 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 84.0 percent of the total value of U.S.-NAFTA freight flows.

And BTS said that the value of commodities moving by pipeline increased 42.7 percent, vessel by 41.8 percent, air by 13.7 percent, rail by 5.5 percent, and truck by 0.4 percent. The large percentage increase in the value of goods moving by pipeline and vessel was largely due to a 66 percent increase in the year-over-year price of crude oil between January 2016 and January 2017.

From January 2016 to January 2017, the value of U.S.-Canada freight flows headed up 7.1 percent to $45 billion, due to gains in the value of goods moved by pipeline (up 44 percent), air (up 17 percent), vessel (up 13 percent), rail (up 8.5 percent), and truck (up 0.5 percent).

The value of U.S.-Mexico freight increased 6.3 percent to $43 billion in January, due to increases in the value of goods moved by vessel (up 58.9 percent), pipeline (up 26.4 percent), air (up 8.6 percent), rail (up 2.1 percent), and truck (up 0.3 percent).

Trucks carried 68.6 percent of the value of the freight to and from Mexico. Rail carried 13.9 percent of the value of freight to and from Mexico followed by vessel, 10.1 percent; air, 3.0 percent; and pipeline, 0.8 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 83.2 percent of the value of total U.S.-Mexico freight flows.