U.S.-NAFTA trade declines in September, reports BTS

The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported this week that U.S. trade with its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico dropped 2.3 percent to $91.1 billion on an annual basis in September.

This followed a 0.7 percent increase in August, which marks the only monthly increase going back to December 2014.

Trucks carried 64.7 percent of U.S.-NAFTA freight in September and continued to be the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.-NAFTA partners. Trucks accounted for $30.1 billion of the $48.8 billion of imports (61.7 percent) and $28.9 billion of the $42.4 billion of exports (68.1 percent). And rail remained the second largest mode by value, moving 15.9 percent of all U.S.-NAFTA freight, followed by vessel, 5.4 percent; pipeline, 4.9 percent; and air, 4.1 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 85.5 percent of the total value of U.S.-NAFTA freight flows.

From September 2015 to September 2016, the value of U.S.-Canada freight flows fell 4.4 percent to $46.2 billion, due to decreases in the value of goods moved by vessel and pipeline and all modes of transportation except rail carrying a lower value of U.S.-Canada freight than a year earlier.

And the value of U.S.-Mexico freight dropped 0.04 percent to $44.9 billion in September, with pipeline, rail, air, and vessel each carrying a higher value of U.S.-Mexico freight on an annual basis.