The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the US Department of Transportation Wednesday released May North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) freight numbers showing that trucks carried 60.8 percent of the $98.6 billion of freight moved in May 2013 between the United States and its NAFTA partners, Canada and Mexico. Trucks were followed by rail at 15.1 percent, vessels at 8.6 percent, pipelines at 6.8 percent and air at 3.9 percent.
The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.7 percent of the total NAFTA freight flows. The value of goods moving between the US and its NAFTA partners by all modes of transportation increased 1.8 percent from May 2012.
BTS, a part of the Department's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that in May, for freight flows with Canada, trucks carried 55.2 percent of the $54.8 billion of the freight, followed by rail at 16.5 percent, pipelines at 11.4 percent, vessels at 6.4 percent and air at 4.6 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 83.2 percent of the total US-Canada freight flows.
For freight flows with Mexico in May, trucks carried 67.8 percent of the $43.8 billion of the freight, followed by rail at 13.4 percent, vessel at 11.4 percent, air at 3 percent and pipelines at 0.9 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.1 percent of the total US-Mexico freight flows