The NAFTA freight data released by the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) January 29th showed that U.S. trade with its NAFTA partners Canada and Mexico rose 1.3 percent from November 2012 to November 2013.
Of the five transportation modes, truck, rail, pipeline, vessel and air that carried U.S.-NAFTA trade in November pipelines had the largest year-to-year growth at 7.4 percent. Trucks came in second, having a 2.5 percent year-to-year increase, followed by rail which rose 2.2 percent. Both vessel and air had a decrease in trade, 8.4 percent for vessel, and 4.0 percent for air.
In November trucks carried 59.9 percent of U.S.-NAFTA trade. Trucks were followed by rail at 15.8 percent, vessels at 9.0 percent, pipelines at 6.6 percent and air at 4.0 percent. All together the surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.3 percent of total NAFTA freight flows.
Trucks carried 54.9 percent of U.S.-Canada trade in November, followed by rail at 17.0 percent, pipelines at 11.5 percent, vessels at 5.5 percent and air at 4.7 percent. Combined, the surface transportation modes carried 83.4 percent of the total U.S.-Canada freight flows. The top commodity group transported between the U.S. and Canada in November was mineral fuels, moved by pipeline.
Of the freight moved between the U.S. and Mexico in November, trucks carried 66.1 percent, followed by rail at 14.3 percent, vessels at 13.3 percent, air at 3.1 percent and pipelines at 0.7 percent. Surface transportation modes carried 81.1 percent of the total U.S.-Mexico freight flows. In November electrical machinery, moved by truck, was the top commodity transported between the U.S. and Mexico.
Source: Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
