US-NAFTA freight totaled $89.3 billion in January 2015 as three out of five transportation modes – rail, truck, and air – carried more
US-NAFTA freight than in January 2014, 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 1.2 percent.
In January 2015 compared to January 2014, the value of commodities moving by rail grew by the largest percentage of any mode, 4.8 percent. Truck freight increased by 3.6 percent and air rose by 1.3 percent. Vessel freight decreased by 21.8 percent and pipeline freight decreased by 22.5 percent mainly due to lower unit price of mineral fuel shipments.
Trucks carried 62.3 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 $27.4 billion of the $47.5 billion of imports (57.7 percent) and $28.2 billion of the $41.8 billion of exports (67.6 percent).
Rail remained the second largest mode, moving 14.5 percent of all
US-NAFTA freight, followed by vessel, 7.8 percent; pipeline, 6.6 percent; and air, 3.9 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 83.4 percent of the total
US-NAFTA freight flows.
US-Canada freight totaled $48.1 billion in January 2015 as three out of five transportation modes –air, truck, and rail– carried more
US-Canada freight than in January 2014. Year-over-year, the value of
US-Canada trade by air increased the most of any mode, growing by 3.4 percent. Truck freight increased by 2.7 percent and rail rose by 1.8 percent.
US-Mexico freight totaled $41.2 billion in January 2015 as two out of five transportation modes –rail and truck– carried more
US-Mexico freight than in January 2014. Year-over-year, the value of
US-Mexico rail freight rose 9.4 percent, the largest percentage increase of any mode. Freight carried by truck increased by 4.4 percent.