BTS Releases January 2015 North American Freight Numbers

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BTS 16-15

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Contact: Dave Smallen

Tel: 202-366-5568

 

BTS Releases January 2015 North American Freight Numbers

 

 

            U.S.-NAFTA freight totaled $89.3 billion in January 2015 as three out of five transportation modes – rail, truck, and air – carried more U.S.-NAFTA freight than in January 2014, according to the TransBorder Freight Data released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) (Figure 1, Table 1). Year-over-year, the value of U.S.-NAFTA freight flows by all modes decreased by 1.2 percent. The value of NAFTA trade by pipeline and vessel declined in January due to the reduced unit price of mineral fuel shipments.

   

Freight by Mode

 

In January 2015 compared to January 2014, the value of commodities moving by rail grew by the largest percentage of any mode, 4.8 percent. Truck freight increased by 3.6 percent and air rose by 1.3 percent (Figure 1, Table 2). Vessel freight decreased by 21.8 percent and pipeline freight decreased by 22.5 percent mainly due to lower unit price of mineral fuel shipments.

 

            Trucks carried 62.3 percent of U.S.-NAFTA freight and are the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.-NAFTA partners. Trucks accounted for $27.4 billion of the $47.5 billion of imports (57.7 percent) and $28.2 billion of the $41.8 billion of exports (67.6 percent) (Table 2).

 

Rail remained the second largest mode, moving 14.5 percent of all U.S.-NAFTA freight, followed by vessel, 7.8 percent; pipeline, 6.6 percent; and air, 3.9 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 83.4 percent of the total U.S.-NAFTA freight flows (Table 2). 

 

 

U.S.-Canada Freight 

 

U.S.-Canada freight totaled $48.1 billion in January 2015 as three out of five transportation modes –air, truck, and rail– carried more U.S.-Canada freight than in January 2014. Year-over-year, the value of U.S.-Canada trade by air increased the most of any mode, growing by 3.4 percent. Truck freight increased by 2.7 percent and rail rose by 1.8 percent. Vessel freight decreased by 19.0 percent and pipeline decreased by 22.5 percent, mainly due to lower mineral fuel prices (Figure 2, Table 3).

 

Trucks carried 55.0 percent of the $48.1 billion of freight to and from Canada, followed by rail, 15.7 percent; pipeline, 11.6 percent; vessel, 5.8 percent and air, 4.8 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.4 percent of the total U.S.-Canada freight flows (Table 3).  

 

U.S.-Mexico Freight 

 

 

U.S.-Mexico freight totaled $41.2 billion in January 2015 as two out of five transportation modes –rail and truck– carried more U.S.-Mexico freight than in January 2014. Year-over-year, the value of U.S.-Mexico rail freight rose 9.4 percent, the largest percentage increase of any mode. Freight carried by truck increased by 4.4 percent. Air freight decreased by 2.6 percent. Pipeline freight decreased by 23.1 percent and vessel freight decreased by 23.5 percent, mainly due to lower mineral fuel prices (Figure 3, Table 5).

 

Trucks carried 70.8 percent of the $41.2 billion of freight to and from Mexico, followed by rail, 13.1 percent; vessel, 10.1 percent; air, 2.8 percent; and pipeline, 0.7 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 84.6 percent of the total U.S.-Mexico freight flows (Table 5).

  

Commodities

 

            In January 2015, the top commodity category transported between the U.S. and Canada was mineral fuels, of which $5.6 billion, or 56.5 percent, moved by pipeline (Table 4). The top commodity category transported between the U.S. and Mexico in January 2015 was electrical machinery, of which $7.0 billion, or 92.2 percent, moved by trucks (Table 6).

   

Reporting Notes

 

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.     

           

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 February TransBorder numbers for April 23.

 

 

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

(millions of current dollars)

Month

2013

2014

2015

Percent Change

2013-2014

Percent Change

2014-2015

January

90,766

90,326

89,258

-0.5

-1.2

February

88,894

89,557

 

0.7

 

March

95,757

101,478

 

6.0

 

April

98,956

100,141

 

1.2

 

May

98,742

103,942

 

5.3

 

June

93,502

102,978

 

10.1

 

July

93,080

101,075

 

8.6

 

August

96,426

100,624

 

4.4

 

September

94,465

102,245

 

8.2

 

October

103,140

108,243

 

4.9

 

November

96,136

96,252

 

0.1

 

December

90,906

95,811

 

5.4

 

Year-to-date

90,766

90,326

89,258

-0.5

-1.2

Annual

1,140,770

1,192,671

 

4.5

 

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

 

January 2014

January 2015

Percent Change January

2014-2015

All Modes

Imports

48,611

47,467

-2.4

Exports

41,715

41,792

0.2

Total

90,326

89,258

-1.2

 

All Surface Modes

Imports

40,287

40,690

1.0

Exports

33,369

33,789

1.3

Total

73,656

74,479

1.1

 

Truck

Imports

25,683

27,405

6.7

Exports

28,022

28,234

0.8

Total

53,705

55,638

3.6

 

Rail

Imports

8,045

8,380

4.2

Exports

4,321

4,582

6.0

Total

12,366

12,962

4.8

 

Pipeline

Imports

6,559

4,905

-25.2

Exports

1,027

974

-5.1

Total

7,585

5,878

-22.5

 

Vessel

Imports

5,203

3,725

-28.4

Exports

3,683

3,227

-12.4

Total

8,886

6,953

-21.8

 

Air

Imports

1,398

1,435

2.6

Exports

2,014

2,022

0.4

Total

3,413

3,456

1.3

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

(millions of current dollars)

Mode

 

January 2014

January 2015

Percent Change January 2014-2015

All Modes

Imports

26,707

25,405

-4.9

Exports

22,568

22,648

0.4

Total

49,276

48,053

-2.5

 

All Surface Modes

Imports

22,600

21,634

-4.3

Exports

17,789

17,971

1.0

Total

40,388

39,605

-1.9

 

Truck

Imports

10,782

11,370

5.5

Exports

14,962

15,078

0.8

Total

25,744

26,448

2.7

 

Rail

Imports

5,277

5,372

1.8

Exports

2,155

2,193

1.8

Total

7,433

7,566

1.8

 

Pipeline

Imports

6,541

4,892

-25.2

Exports

671

700

4.3

Total

7,212

5,591

-22.5

 

Vessel

Imports

1,924

1,601

-16.8

Exports

1,543

1,209

-21.7

Total

3,467

2,810

-19.0

 

Air

Imports

888

941

6.0

Exports

1,322

1,344

1.7

Total

2,210

2,285

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 4. Top Commodity Transported between the U.S. and Canada for Each Mode of Transportation, January 2015

(millions of current dollars)

Mode

Commodities

Exports

Imports

Total

All Modes

Mineral Fuels; Oils and Waxes

2,163

7,679

9,842

Truck

Vehicles Other than Railway

2,388

2,234

4,622

Rail

Vehicles Other than Railway

595

1,986

2,580

Pipeline

Mineral Fuels; Oils and Waxes

682

4,876

5,559

Vessel

Mineral Fuels; Oils and Waxes

1,069

1,333

2,402

Air

Aircraft; Spacecraft and Parts

254

212

466

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

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

 

 

Table 5. Value of Monthly U.S.-Mexico Freight Flows by Mode of Transportation

(millions of current dollars)

Mode

 

January 2014

January 2015

Percent Change January 2014-2015

All Modes

Imports

21,903

22,062

0.7

Exports

19,147

19,144

0.0

Total

41,050

41,205

0.4

 

All Surface Modes

Imports

17,687

19,056

7.7

Exports

15,581

15,818

1.5

Total

33,268

34,874

4.8

 

Truck

Imports

14,902

16,034

7.6

Exports

13,060

13,156

0.7

Total

27,962

29,190

4.4

 

Rail

Imports

2,768

3,008

8.7

Exports

2,165

2,388

10.3

Total

4,933

5,396

9.4

 

Pipeline

Imports

18

13

-27.3

Exports

355

274

-22.9

Total

373

287

-23.1

 

Vessel

Imports

3,279

2,124

-35.2

Exports

2,140

2,019

-5.6

Total

5,419

4,143

-23.5

 

Air

Imports

510

493

-3.2

Exports

692

678

-2.1

Total

1,202

1,171

-2.6

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 6. Top Commodity Transported between the U.S. and Mexico for Each Mode of Transportation, January 2015

(millions of current dollars)

Mode

Commodities

Exports

Imports

Total

All Modes

Electrical Machinery; Equipment and Parts

3,298

4,324

7,621

Truck

Electrical Machinery; Equipment and Parts

2,977

4,046

7,023

Rail

Vehicles Other than Railway

501

2,144

2,645

Pipeline

Mineral Fuels; Oils and Waxes

274

13

287

Vessel

Mineral Fuels; Oils and Waxes

1,272

1,478

2,751

Air

Electrical Machinery; Equipment and Parts

221

140

362

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

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