Trucks carried more US freight by value with North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico in May 2016 compared to May 2015 but declines in all other freight modes led to a 3.1 percent decrease to $89.8 billion in the total current dollar value of cross-border freight, according to the TransBorder Freight Data released today by the US Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).
The value of commodities moving by truck increased 1.3 percent as the value of incoming freight from Mexico (up 6.2 percent) and Canada (up 11.4 percent) exceeded the 5.5 percent decrease in shipments from the US. The value of freight carried on other modes declined: rail 3.1 percent; air 3.8 percent; pipeline 21.4 percent; and vessel 30.7 percent.
Trucks carried 66.0 percent of US-NAFTA freight and continued to be the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both US-NAFTA partners. Trucks accounted for $31.2 billion of the $47.9 billion of imports (65.3 percent) and $28.1 billion of the $42.0 billion of exports (66.9 percent).
Rail remained the second largest mode by value, moving 15.8 percent of all US-NAFTA freight, followed by vessel, 5.4 percent; pipeline, 3.9 percent; and air, 3.7 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 85.8 percent of the total value of US-NAFTA freight flows.
From May 2015 to May 2016, the value of US-Canada freight flows fell 6.0 percent to $46.0 billion as all modes of transportation except truck carried a lower value of US-Canada freight than a year earlier.
From May 2015 to May 2016, the value of US-Mexico freight rose 0.1 percent to $43.9 billion as all modes of transportation except truck and rail carried a lower value of US-Mexico freight than a year earlier.
In May 2016, the top commodity category transported between the US and Canada by all modes was vehicles and parts, of which $5.1 billion, or 55.2 percent, moved by truck and $3.9 billion, or 42.4 percent, moved by rail. The top commodity category transported between the US and Mexico by all modes in May 2016 was electrical machinery, of which $7.6 billion, or 91.6 percent, moved by truck.