The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the US Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that trade using surface transportation between the US and its NAFTA trading partners Canada and Mexico shot up 15.6 percent in March over March 2010, reaching $80.8 billion. March 2011 was the highest month since collection of data began in 1994. The US' surface transportation trade-which includes freight movement by truck, rail, pipeline and mail-with Canada and Mexico is also up 58.3 percent from March 2009.
US-Canada surface transportation trade totaled $48.7 billion in March, a 15.7 percent surge compared to March 2010. US-Mexico surface transportation trade totaled $32.1 billion in March-a 15.3 percent increase over the same period a year ago. March was also the first time on record that US-Mexico trade has exceeded $30 billion.