The value of US-NAFTA freight totaled $93.2 billion in September 2015 as all modes of transportation carried less value of freight than a year earlier, according to the TransBorder Freight Data released Tuesday by the US Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Year-over-year, the value of US-NAFTA freight flows by all modes decreased by 8.8 percent. Large decreases in the value of commodities moved by pipeline and vessel in September were due to the reduced unit price of mineral fuel.
In September 2015 compared to September 2014, the value of commodities moving by truck decreased by 0.1 percent, while air decreased by 4.0 percent and rail by 12.2 percent. Vessel freight values decreased 38.9 percent and pipeline freight decreased 41.8 percent mainly due to the lower unit price of mineral fuel.
Trucks carried 65.7 percent of US-NAFTA freight and are the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both US-NAFTA partners. Trucks accounted for $31.7 billion of the $50.5 billion of imports (62.8 percent) and $29.6 billion of the $42.7 billion of exports (69.2 percent).
Rail remained the second largest mode by value, moving 14.4 percent of all US-NAFTA freight, followed by vessel, 5.6 percent; pipeline, 5.1 percent; and air, 3.9 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 85.2 percent of the total US-NAFTA freight flows.
The value of US-Canada freight totaled $48.3 billion in September 2015, down 15.8 percent from September 2014, as all modes of transportation carried less value of US-Canada freight than a year earlier.
The value of US-Mexico freight totaled $45.0 billion in September 2015, up 0.2 percent from September 2014, as two out of five transportation modes – rail and truck – carried more US-Mexico freight than in September 2014. Year-over-year, the value of US-Mexico truck freight rose 7.9 percent, the largest percentage increase of any mode.