Nafta Trade Drops But Truck Freight Rises
U.S. trade with Canada and Mexico declined in February to the lowest level for the month since 2011 but freight carried by trucks increased, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported April 22.
Truck freight increased 0.9% as total trade declined 4.3% to $87.7 billion.
Trucks carried 63.1% of the trade among North American Free Trade Agreement partners making them the most-heavily used mode of moving goods to and from Canada and Mexico.
The decline in February follows a 1.2% drop the prior month that was due in part to the reduced price of mineral fuel shipments, according to BTS.
TT Archives: NAFTA Passes
Trucks transported $27.2 billion of exports and $26.9 billion of imports between the Nafta partners.
U.S.-Canada trade for the month by truck declined 2.9%, and rail dropped 13.3%. Trucks carried 57.2% of the $45.1 billion in freight to and from Canada.
Trade with Mexico by truck increased 4.7% from last year and accounted for 69.6% of the $40.6 billion of freight moved to and from the country. Trucks transported more electrical machinery, equipment and parts than any other commodity to and from Mexico.
Trade by pipeline dropped by 22.8% to $5.2 billion and ship trade declined 29% to $6 billion.
