U.S. surface trade with NAFTA partners is up 8.3 percent annually in May

The United States Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) said today that trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico was up 8.3 percent in May 2012 compared to May 2011 at $83.8 billion.

BTS said that the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in May was up 13.0 percent compared to May 2008 and up 75.0 percent from May 2009. And it was up 72.6 percent compared to May 2002. May imports were up 62.5 percent and exports were up 85.9 percent during the same 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 86.5 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved on land in April, with 9.8 percent moving by vessel, and 3.7 percent by air.

The BTS said the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in May was up 5.0 percent from April.

U.S.-Canada surface transportation trade in May at $48.1 billion was up 4.0 percent annually. Michigan paced all states in surface trade with Canada in May at $6.5 billion for a 2.6 percent annual gain.

The value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Mexico was up 14.9 percent year over year in May at $35.6 billion. Texas led all states in surface trade with Mexico in May at $12.9 billion, up 15.6 percent annually.