Nafta Freight Shipments Set ’04 Record, DOT Says

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

he amount of goods transported across U.S. borders in trade with North American Free Trade partners Canada and Mexico set a new record in 2004, exceeding a previous high set in 2000, the Department of Transportation said Tuesday.

The United States traded $712 billion in goods with Canada and Mexico in 2004, topping the previous high of $654 billion by $58 billion, DOT’s Bureau of Trade Statistics said following an update of its data.

Since 1995, the total value of U.S. freight shipments with Mexico has grown 146%, or almost 11% annually. Trade with Canada grew 64%, or almost 6% annually.

Trucks carried almost two-thirds of this freight measured by value — $453 billion in 2004. Rail carried 15%, followed by maritime with 6%, and air and pipeline with 5% each.

Freight transported by trucks represented the largest modal increase in value from 2003 to 2004, up $49 billion, followed by rail up $12 billion and maritime up $8 billion.

The 2004 trade level was 13% increase over 2003’s level of $629 billion. Trade in 2004 was up 18% from a low of $604 billion in 2002, DOT said.

The value of freight shipments moving among the United States, Canada and Mexico has risen 88% since 1995, growing at an average rate of 7% per year, the department said.