Nafta Trade Rises 4.9% to Record

Image
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News

U.S. trade with Canada and Mexico rose 4.9% in October from a year earlier to a record $108.2 billion, the Department of Transportation reported Jan. 8.

October was the eighth straight month in which Nafta trade value exceeded $100 billion, DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics said in its monthly report. The previous record was $104 billion, set last May.

Truck trade, which accounts for about three-fifths of the trade among the North American Free Trade Agreement partners, jumped 7.2% year-over-year to $66.1 billion.

Trucks carried 68.5% of the $49.7 billion of freight to and from Mexico, and 54.8% of the $58.6 billion to and from Canada.



Trucks carried $33.8 billion of U.S. exports and $32.3 billion of imports. All surface modes combined carried 83.5% of U.S.-Nafta freight.

Rail was the second-largest mode, at 15.1%, followed by vessel at 7.7%; pipeline at7.3% and air at 3.8%, BTS said.