Trucks Continue to Haul Most Nafta Freight by Value, DOT Says

Trucks remained the most heavily used mode for moving goods in June to and from the United States and its Nafta trade partners, Canada and Mexico, hauling 65.4% of freight, U.S. Department of Transportation said Aug. 25.

Trucks accounted for $31.2 billion of the $49.2 billion of imports, or 63.5%, and $29.4 billion of the $43.5 billion of exports, or 67.5%, DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics said in its latest release of the statistics.

However, the value of the Nafta freight  that trucking carried fell by 5.8% year-over-year, compared with June 2015, BTS said. 

All transportation modes except air carried less cross-border freight by value in June, resulting in a 6.4% decrease to $92.7 billion in the total current dollar value of freight moved, compared with a year earlier, BTS said.

June marked the 18th consecutive month that the total value of U.S. freight with Canada and Mexico declined from the same month of the previous year, according to the agency.

The value of U.S.-Canada freight flows fell 7.2% to $48.2 billion. All modes except air carried a lower value of U.S.-Canada freight than a year earlier, the agency said.

Trucks carried 60.4%t of the value of the freight to and from Canada, BTS reported. Rail carried 15.8%, followed by pipeline, 7.9%; air, 4.9%; and vessel, 4%. The surface transportation modes carried 84.1% of the value of total U.S.-Canada freight flows, BTS said.

The year-over-year value of U.S.-Mexico freight declined 5.5% to $44.5 billion as, again, all modes except air carried a lower value of freight.

Trucks carried 70.8% of the value of freight to and from Mexico, BTS said. Rail carried 14.5% followed by vessel, 8.1%; air, 3%; and pipeline, 0.7%. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 86.1% of the value of total U.S.-Mexico freight flows.

Meanwhile, U.S.-Mexico freight carried by air increased 1.3%. Rail decreased 4.9%, and truck decreased by 5.5%. Pipeline and vessel freight value dropped by 10.1% and 11.3% ,respectively, both due mainly to lower crude oil prices, BTS said.