Bureau of Transportation Statistics
U.S.-NAFTA freight totaled $93.3 billion in April 2015 as all modes but air carried less U.S.-NAFTA freight than in April 2014, according to the TransBorder Freight Data released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Year-over-year, the value of U.S.-NAFTA freight flows by all modes decreased by 6.8 percent. Large decreases in the value of NAFTA trade by pipeline and vessel in April were due to the reduced unit price of mineral fuel shipments.
Freight by Mode
In April 2015 compared to April 2014, the value of commodities moving by air grew by 3.0 percent. The value of commodities shipped by all other modes declined. Truck freight and rail freight both decreased by 0.9 percent. Vessel freight decreased by 22.8 percent and pipeline freight decreased by 44.9 percent mainly due to the lower unit price of mineral fuel shipments.
Trucks carried 64.2 percent of U.S.-NAFTA freight and are the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.-NAFTA partners. Trucks accounted for $29.8 billion of the $49.1 billion of imports (60.8 percent) and $30.1 billion of the $44.3 billion of exports (67.9 percent).
Rail remained the second largest mode, moving 15.6 percent of all U.S.-NAFTA freight, followed by vessel, 6.5 percent; pipeline, 5.1 percent; and air, 4.1 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 84.9 percent of the total U.S.-NAFTA freight flows.
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