Nafta Trade Rises 8.2%

U.S. trade with Canada and Mexico rose 8.2% in September to $102.2 billion from a year ago, the Department of Transportation reported Nov. 25.

Trucks carried three-fifths of the trade among the North American Free Trade Agreement partners, accounting for $31.2 billion of U.S. exports and $30.1 billion of imports.

September marked the seventh consecutive month that Nafta trade value has exceeded $100 billion, DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics said in its monthly report.

Of the $7.8 billion increase in the value of Nafta freight from September 2013, truck freight contributed the most at $4.9 billion. Trucks carried 54% of the $57.4 billion of freight to and from Canada, and 67.6% of the $44.9 billion of freight to and from Mexico.

Rail remained the second-largest mode at 15%, followed by vessel at 8.4%, pipeline at 7.9%, and air at 3.7%. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.9% of the total Nafta freight.