BTS Releases August North American Freight Numbers: Three of Five Modes Carried More U.S. NAFTA Trade in August 2013 than in August 2012

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BTS 49-13

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Contact: Dave Smallen

Tel: 202-366-5568

 

BTS Releases August North American Freight Numbers:

Three of Five Modes Carried More U.S. NAFTA Trade in August 2013 than in August 2012 

  

            Three of the five transportation modes carried more U.S.-NAFTA trade in August 2013 than in August 2012 as the value of overall U.S. trade with its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners, Canada and Mexico, rose 2.0 percent from year to year, according to the August NAFTA freight data released today by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (Table 1).    

 

BTS, a part of the Department’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that pipelines showed the most year-to-year growth at 18.2 percent. The increase in the value of freight carried by pipelines reflects the rise in prices for oil and other petroleum products, the primary commodity transported by pipelines.

 

Trade by Mode

Truck, which carries three-fifths of U.S.-NAFTA trade and is the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.-NAFTA partners, rose 0.7 percent while rail rose 3.0 percent. Vessel declined 2.6 percent and air 2.4 percent (Figure 1).

 

Trucks carried 59.9 percent of the $96.5 billion of U.S.-NAFTA trade in August 2013 accounting for $30.3 billion of exports and $27.5 billion of imports (Table 2). Trucks were followed by rail at 15.6 percent, vessels at 8.5 percent, pipeline at 7.4 percent and air at 3.7 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.9 percent of the total NAFTA freight flows (Figure 2).

  

Trade with Canada

U.S.-Canada trade by pipeline, of which 90 percent was imported, increased the most of any mode from August 2012 to August 2013, growing 20.6 percent. U.S.-Canada pipeline trade comprises 96 percent of total U.S.-NAFTA pipeline trade (Tables 2, 4). Freight moved by rail between the U.S. and Canada decreased by 1.4 percent (Figure 3).

 

For trade with Canada in August, trucks carried 54.6 percent of the $53.4 billion of the freight, followed by rail at 16.7 percent, pipelines at 12.8 percent, vessel at 5.0 percent and air at 4.5 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 84.1 percent of the total U.S.-Canada freight flows (Table 4).   

          

Trade with Mexico

U.S.-Mexico trade by rail increased the most of any mode from August 2012 to August 2013, growing 10.1 percent. Freight moved by pipeline between the U.S. and Mexico decreased by 17.5 percent (Figure 4). However, U.S.-Mexico pipeline trade only comprises 4 percent of total U.S. NAFTA pipeline trade (Tables 2, 6).

 

For trade with Mexico in August, trucks carried 66.3 percent of the $43.2 billion of the freight, followed by rail at 14.3 percent, vessel at 12.8 percent, air at 2.8 percent and pipelines at 0.7 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 81.3 percent of the total U.S.-Mexico freight flows (Table 6).

 

Commodities

In August 2013, the top commodity group transported between the U.S. and Canada was mineral fuels, of which $6.8 billion moved by pipeline (Table 5). The top commodity category transported between the U.S. and Mexico in August 2013 was electrical machinery, of which $7.2 billion moved by truck (Table 7).

 

Reporting Notes

Beginning with January 2013, BTS monthly TransBorder press releases contain data for all modes of transportation. Press releases and the BTS website define surface transportation modes as truck, rail and pipeline. See North American TransBorder Freight Data on the BTS website for additional data for surface modes since 1995 and all modes since 2004.              

            

The category of all modes of transportation cited in the following tables includes freight movements by truck, rail, vessel, pipeline, air, other and unknown modes of transport. Figure 2 above provides a breakdown by value and percentage of each mode of freight transportation used in moving goods between the U.S. and its NAFTA partners in August. The dotted slices represent surface modes, which accounted for 82.9 percent of the total.  

           

            Data in this press release are not adjusted for inflation. Additional summary data adjusted for inflation and exchange rates can be found on the BTS website under TransBorder Indexed Freight Flow Data. The BLS indexes used in the adjustments for inflation and exchange rates may be revised in each of the three months after original publication.

           

For more information, see TransBorder Press Releases for previous press releases and summary tables. See TransBorder Freight Data for data from previous months, and more state, port, or commodity data. BTS has scheduled the release of September TransBorder numbers for Dec. 5.

 

 

 

 

Table 1. Value of Monthly U.S.-NAFTA Freight Flows

(millions of current dollars) 

Month

2011

2012

2013

Percent Change 2011-2012

Percent Change 2012-2013

January

79,608

87,490

90,512

9.9

3.5

February

77,015

89,385

88,449

16.1

-1.0

March

94,228

99,510

95,566

5.6

-4.0

April

87,097

92,199

98,984

5.9

7.4

May

91,126

96,840

98,577

6.3

1.8

June

90,663

94,200

93,483

3.9

-0.8

July

84,952

87,691

93,192

3.2

6.3

August

93,450

94,593

96,526

1.2

2.0

September

90,771

89,875

 

-1.0

 

October

91,837

98,632

 

7.4

 

November

90,401

94,877

 

5.0

 

December

86,775

84,695

 

-2.4

 

Year-to-date

698,140

741,909

755,289

6.3

1.8

Annual

1,057,924

1,109,988

 

4.9

 

 

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

NOTE: Numbers might not add to totals due to rounding. Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

 

 

Table 2. Value of Monthly U.S.-NAFTA Freight Flows by Mode of Transportation

(millions of current dollars)

Mode

 

August 2012

August 2013

Percent Change

August

2012-2013

All Modes

Imports

50,737

51,840

2.2

Exports

43,856

44,686

1.9

Total

94,593

96,526

2.0

 

All Surface Modes

Imports

42,093

43,485

3.3

Exports

35,938

36,498

1.6

Total

78,031

79,983

2.5

 

Truck

Imports

27,464

27,458

-0.0

Exports

29,905

30,327

1.4

Total

57,369

57,785

0.7

 

Rail

Imports

9,245

9,863

6.7

Exports

5,401

5,221

-3.3

Total

14,646

15,084

3.0

 

Pipeline

Imports

5,384

6,165

14.5

Exports

632

950

50.2

Total

6,017

7,114

18.2

 

Vessel

Imports

5,396

5,242

-2.9

Exports

3,015

2,951

-2.1

Total

8,411

8,193

-2.6

 

Air

Imports

1,668

1,452

-12.9

Exports

2,034

2,160

6.2

Total

3,702

3,613

-2.4

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

NOTES: Numbers might not add to totals due to rounding. Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding. The value of trade for all modes is not equal to the sum of truck, rail, pipeline, vessel and air modes, it also includes shipments made by mail, foreign trade zones, and other transportation.  For additional detail, please refer to the “Data Fields” section of the TransBorder web page: http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/TransBorder/TBDR_DataFields.html

 

 

Table 3. Percent Change in Value of U.S.-NAFTA Freight Flows by Mode

August 2013 Compared to August in…

Percent Change

Truck

Rail

Pipeline

Air

Vessel

All Modes

2012

0.7

3.0

18.2

-2.4

-2.6

2.0

2011

3.2

17.8

-3.2

-11.5

-8.6

3.3

2010

20.2

33.2

40.2

-8.1

19.0

22.5

2009

50.3

79.0

66.3

22.0

43.6

53.4

2008

23.4

15.4

-16.5

5.8

-13.4

13.4

2007

20.2

24.9

44.5

10.0

22.9

22.0

2006

23.5

35.7

40.7

15.4

19.6

26.5

2005

35.1

56.3

54.9

34.6

42.9

40.7

2004

50.5

65.7

117.7

38.8

97.3

60.0

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

Note: Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding. Percent change based on numbers prior to rounding.

 

 

Table 4. Value of Monthly U.S.-Canada Freight Flows by Mode of Transportation

(millions of current dollars)

Mode

 

August 2012

August 2013

Percent Change

August

2012-2013

All Modes

Imports

27,048

27,835

2.9

Exports

24,687

25,531

3.4

Total

51,736

53,367

3.2

 

All Surface Modes

Imports

23,091

23,876

3.4

Exports

20,654

21,003

1.7

Total

43,744

44,879

2.6

 

Truck

Imports

11,753

11,708

-0.4

Exports

17,311

17,457

0.8

Total

29,065

29,165

0.3

 

Rail

Imports

5,971

6,025

0.9

Exports

3,061

2,879

-5.9

Total

9,032

8,904

-1.4

 

Pipeline

Imports

5,366

6,143

14.5

Exports

282

667

136.9

Total

5,648

6,810

20.6

 

Vessel

Imports

1,840

1,936

5.3

Exports

594

734

23.6

Total

2,434

2,671

9.7

 

Air

Imports

911

857

-5.9

Exports

1,398

1,531

9.5

Total

2,309

2,388

3.4

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

NOTES: Numbers might not add to totals due to rounding. Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding. The value of trade for all modes is not equal to the sum of truck, rail, pipeline, vessel and air modes, it also includes shipments made by mail, foreign trade zones, and other transportation.  For additional detail, please refer to the “Data Fields” section of the TransBorder web page: http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/TransBorder/TBDR_DataFields.html

 

 

Table 5. Top Commodity Transported between the U.S. and Canada for Each Mode of Transportation, August 2013

(millions of current dollars)

Mode

Commodities

Exports

Imports

Total

Truck

Vehicles Other than Railway

3,488

2,347

5,835

Rail

Vehicles Other than Railway

872

2,531

3,403

Pipeline

Mineral Fuels; Oils and Waxes

667

6,109

6,776

Vessel

Mineral Fuels; Oils and Waxes

561

     1,640

2,201

Air

Computer-Related Machinery and Parts

367

155

522

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

Note: Numbers July not add to totals due to rounding.

 

 

Table 6. Value of Monthly U.S.-Mexico Freight Flows by Mode of Transportation

(millions of current dollars)

Mode

 

August 2012

August 2013

Percent Change

August

2012-2013

All Modes

Imports

23,688

24,005

1.3

Exports

19,169

19,155

-0.1

Total

42,857

43,159

0.7

 

All Surface Modes

Imports

19,002

19,609

3.2

Exports

15,284

15,496

1.4

Total

34,287

35,105

2.4

 

Truck

Imports

15,711

15,750

0.2

Exports

12,593

12,870

2.2

Total

28,304

28,620

1.1

 

Rail

Imports

3,274

3,838

17.2

Exports

2,340

2,343

0.1

Total

5,614

6,180

10.1

 

Pipeline

Imports

18

22

21.9

Exports

351

282

-19.5

Total

369

304

-17.5

 

Vessel

Imports

3,556

3,305

-7.1

Exports

2,421

2,217

-8.4

Total

5,977

5,522

-7.6

 

Air

Imports

757

595

-21.4

Exports

635

629

-1.0

Total

1,392

1,224

-12.1

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

NOTES: Numbers might not add to totals due to rounding. Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding. The value of trade for all modes is not equal to the sum of truck, rail, pipeline, vessel and air modes, it also includes shipments made by mail, foreign trade zones, and other transportation.  For additional detail, please refer to the “Data Fields” section of the TransBorder web page: http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/TransBorder/TBDR_DataFields.html 

 

 

Table 7. Top Commodity Transported between the U.S. and Mexico for Each Mode of Transportation, August 2013

(millions of current dollars)

Mode

Commodities

Exports

Imports

Total

Truck

Electrical Machinery; Equipment and Parts

2,762

4,482

7,244

Rail

Vehicles Other than Railway

550

2,882

3,433

Pipeline

Mineral Fuels; Oils and Waxes

282

22

304

Vessel

Mineral Fuels; Oils and Waxes

1,276

2,694

3,969

Air

Electrical Machinery; Equipment and Parts

243

181

425

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

NOTE: Numbers July not add to totals due to rounding.