U.S.-NAFTA freight value down 3.8 percent annually in June, reports BTS

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 June dropped 3.8 percent annually to $99.0 billion. This followed a 10.8 percent decline in May to $92.7 billion.

BTS said that large declines in the value of NAFTA trade by pipeline and vessel in June were mainly due to the reduced unit price of mineral fuel shipments, as has been the case in recent months.

Truck commodities in June rose 5.1 percent while carrying 65.0 percent of U.S.-NAFTA freight and accounted for $33.2 billion, or 61.6 percent of the $53.8 billion in recorded imports for the month.

Rail commodities were down 4.5 percent and is still the second highest mode by value, with 14.9 percent of U.S.-NAFTA freight. BTS said vessel freight values and and pipeline freight were off 24.4 percent and 40.0 percent, respectively, due in large part to the lower unit price of mineral fuel shipments.

The value of U.S.-Canada freight totaled $52.0 billion in June, down 10.3 percent from June 2014, as all modes of transportation carried a lower value of U.S.-Canada freight than a year earlier. And the value of U.S.-Mexico freight totaled $47.1 billion in June, up 4.4 percent from June 2014, as three out of five transportation modes – truck, air and rail – carried more U.S.-Mexico freight than in June 2014.