BTS Statistical Release: 2016 North American Freight Numbers

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BTS 11-17

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Contact: Dave Smallen

Tel: 202-366-5568

david.smallen@dot.gov                                             

 

BTS Statistical Release: 2016 North American Freight Numbers

 

Fig1    

 

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

 

Four out of five major transportation modes – truck, pipeline, vessel and air – carried less U.S. freight and with North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico by value in 2016 than in 2015. Rail is the only major mode to carry more freight, increasing by 0.2 percent. The total value of cross-border freight carried on all modes fell 3.4 percent from 2015 to $1.069 trillion in current dollars, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) (Figure 1 and Table 1).

 

Freight by Mode

 

The modal share of commodities moving by truck increased by 1.1 percentage points, rail increased by 0.5 percentage points, and air was unchanged from 2015 to 2016. The modal share of freight on other modes declined: pipeline by 0.5 percentage points and vessel by 1.1 percentage points.

 

A large drop in the year-over-year price of crude oil in early 2016 played a key role in the annual declines in the dollar value of goods shipped by vessel (down 20.0 percent) and pipeline (down 12.9 percent). By the end of 2016, the year-over-year price of crude oil was increasing. Average monthly prices for crude petroleum and refined fuel are available from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. 

 

Fig2 

 

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

 

 Trucks carried 65.5 percent of U.S.-NAFTA freight, a 1.1 percentage point increase from 2006, and continued to be the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.-NAFTA partners. Trucks accounted for $362.0 billion of the $572.2 billion of imports (63.3 percent) and for $338.0 billion of the $496.9 billion of exports (68.0 percent) (Table 1).

 

Rail remained the second largest mode, moving 15.5 percent of all U.S.-NAFTA freight, followed by vessel, 5.5 percent; pipeline, 4.6 percent and air, 3.9 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 85.6 percent of the total value of U.S.-NAFTA freight flows (Figure 2, Table 1).

 

Trucks carried 63.3 percent of the $572.2 billion of imports, followed by rail, 18.8 percent; pipeline, 6.6 percent; vessel, 5.2 percent; and air, 3.1 percent. Truck carried 68.0 percent of the $496.9 billion of exports, followed by rail, 11.7 percent; vessel, 5.8 percent; air, 4.8 percent; and pipeline, 2.4 percent (Table 1).

 

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. See North American Transborder Freight Data for historical data. 

 

Freight with Canada

From 2015 to 2016, the value of U.S.-Canada freight flows fell 5.4 percent to $544.0 billion. Trucks carried 60.1 percent of the value of the freight to and from Canada, followed with rail by 16.2 percent; pipeline by 8.4 percent, vessel by 3.3 percent; and air by 4.8 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 84.8 percent of the value of total U.S.-Canada freight flows (Table 2).

           

Trucks carried 60.1 percent of U.S.-Canada freight in 2016, a 1.3 percentage point increase from 2006. Rail and air both had a percent share gain of 0.2 points, while vessel’s share fell 0.6 points and pipeline’s share fell 2.1 points (Table 2).

 

Trucks carried 53.5 percent of the $278.1 billion of 2016 imports from Canada, followed by rail, 21.1 percent; pipeline, 13.6 percent; vessel, 4.1 percent; and air, 4.0 percent. Truck carried 67.1 percent of the $266.0 billion of 2016 exports to Canada, followed by rail, 11.2 percent; air, 5.6 percent; pipeline, 3.0 percent; and vessel, 2.5 percent (Table 2).

 

Michigan led all states in freight with Canada in 2016 with $71.8 billion, and increase of 3.9 percent. The other top 10 states for U.S.-Canada freight in 2016 all showed year-over-year decreases, Indiana had the smallest percent decrease over 2015 by 0.3 percent. Texas had the largest percent decrease over 2015 among the top 10 states, by 15.0 percent (Table 3).

 

The top commodity category transported between the U.S. and Canada in 2016 was vehicles and parts at $106.1 billion with $59.8 billion or 56.4 percent moving by truck (Figure 3).

 

Freight with Mexico

From 2015 to 2016, the value of U.S.-Mexico freight fell 1.1 percent to $525.1 billion. Trucks carried 71.0 percent of the value of the freight to and from Mexico, followed with rail by 14.7 percent; vessel by 7.7 percent; air by 3.0 percent; and pipeline by 0.7 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 86.4 percent of the value of total U.S.-Mexico freight flows (Table 4).

 

Trucks carried 71.0 percent of U.S.-Mexico freight in 2016, a 5.0 percentage point increase from 2006. Rail’s share increased by 1.7 percentage points from 2006, while pipeline’s share increased by 0.5 percentage points, air’s share declined by 0.5 percentage points and vessel’s percentage share fell 7.0 points (Table 4).

 

Trucks carried 72.5 percent of the $294.2 billion of 2016 imports from Mexico, followed by rail, 16.5 percent; vessel, 6.2 percent; air, 2.4 percent; and pipeline, 0.1 percent. Truck carried 69.1 percent of the $231.0 billion of 2016 exports to Mexico, followed by rail, 12.4 percent; vessel, 9.6 percent; air, 3.8 percent; and pipeline, 1.6 percent (Table 4).

 

Texas led all states in freight with Mexico in 2016 with $173.7 billion. Of the top 10 states for U.S.-Mexico freight in 2016, Michigan had the highest percent change over 2016, increasing by 11.0 percent (Table 5).

 

The top commodity transported between the U.S. and Mexico in 2016 was electrical machinery at $102.6 billion, with $94.0 billion or 91.6 percent moved by truck. The next highest commodity category transported by a single mode in U.S.-Mexico freight was vehicles and parts with $43.7 billion in freight moved by rail (Figure 4). 

 

Reporting Notes

Statistical 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 for 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 Releases  for previous releases and summary tables. BTS has scheduled the release of January TransBorder numbers for March 23.

 

 

Table 1. Modal Shares of U.S.-NAFTA Freight Flows

Freight by All Modes

(millions of current dollars)

Mode

 

2006

2015

2016

Percent Change   2006-2016

Percent Change   2015-2016

All Modes

Imports

501,675

589,931

572,218

14.1

-3.0

Exports

364,424

516,394

496,920

36.4

-3.8

Total

866,099

1,106,325

1,069,138

23.4

-3.4

 

 

Share of Total by Mode                                                             (percent of total value)

Percentage Point Change 2006-2016

Percentage Point Change 2015-2016

All Surface Modes

Imports

83.6

87.3

88.7

5.1

1.3

Exports

82.3

81.1

82.1

-0.2

1.0

Total

83.1

84.4

85.6

2.5

1.2

 

 

Truck

Imports

55.1

61.0

63.3

8.2

2.3

Exports

70.6

68.2

68.0

-2.6

-0.1

Total

61.6

64.3

65.5

3.9

1.1

 

 

Rail

Imports

17.8

18.4

18.8

1.0

0.4

Exports

10.9

11.0

11.7

0.8

0.7

Total

14.9

14.9

15.5

0.6

0.5

 

 

Pipeline

Imports

10.7

8.0

6.6

-4.1

-1.3

Exports

0.8

1.9

2.4

1.6

0.4

Total

6.6

5.2

4.6

-1.9

-0.5

 

 

Vessel

Imports

11.0

6.4

5.2

-5.8

-1.2

Exports

4.1

6.8

5.8

1.7

-1.0

Total

8.1

6.6

5.5

-2.6

-1.1

 

 

Air

Imports

2.5

3.0

3.1

0.6

0.2

Exports

6.4

5.0

4.8

-1.6

-0.2

Total

4.1

3.9

3.9

-0.2

0.0

 

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data as of February 2017.

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. 

* The percent of modal share for all surface modes equals the sum of the share of the truck, rail and pipeline modes.

 

 

Table 2. Modal Shares of U.S.-Canada Freight Flows

Freight by All Modes

(millions of current dollars)

Mode

 

2006

2015

2016

Percent Change   2006-2016

Percent Change   2015-2016

All Modes

Imports

303,416

295,190

278,067

-8.4

-5.8

Exports

230,257

280,017

265,961

15.5

-5.0

Total

533,673

575,207

544,027

1.9

-5.4

 

 

Share of Total by Mode                                                             (percent of total value)

Percentage Point Change 2006-2016

Percentage Point Change 2015-2016

All Surface Modes

Imports

88.0

86.7

88.2

0.2

1.6

Exports

82.1

79.7

81.2

-0.8

1.5

Total

85.4

83.3

84.8

-0.6

1.5

 

 

Truck

Imports

49.4

49.7

53.5

4.1

3.8

Exports

71.4

67.3

67.1

-4.3

-0.2

Total

58.9

58.3

60.1

1.3

1.9

 

 

Rail

Imports

20.8

21.1

21.1

0.3

0.0

Exports

9.8

10.1

11.2

1.4

1.1

Total

16.1

15.7

16.2

0.2

0.5

 

 

Pipeline

Imports

17.8

15.8

13.6

-4.2

-2.3

Exports

0.9

2.3

3.0

2.1

0.7

Total

10.5

9.3

8.4

-2.1

-0.9

 

 

Vessel

Imports

5.3

5.1

4.1

-1.2

-1.0

Exports

2.2

4.6

2.5

0.3

-2.1

Total

4.0

4.9

3.3

-0.6

-1.6

 

 

Air

Imports

2.8

3.7

4.0

1.2

0.3

Exports

6.9

5.7

5.6

-1.3

-0.1

Total

4.6

4.7

4.8

0.2

0.1

 

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data as of February 2017.

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.

* The percent of modal share for all surface modes equals the sum of the share of the truck, rail and pipeline modes.

 

 

Table 3. Top 10 States Freight Flows with Canada by All Modes of Transportation

Ranked by 2016 Value

(millions of current dollars)

State

2015

2016

Percent Change   2015 - 2016

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Michigan

69,059

1

71,754

1

3.9

California

44,783

2

43,964

2

-1.8

Illinois

47,166

4

41,180

3

-12.7

Texas

41,311

3

35,101

4

-15.0

Ohio

33,913

5

30,601

5

-9.8

New York

30,413

6

30,262

6

-0.5

Pennsylvania

22,302

8

19,942

7

-10.6

Washington

21,548

7

19,791

8

-8.2

Indiana

18,819

9

18,757

9

-0.3

Tennessee

14,406

10

13,842

10

-3.9

 

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data as of February 2017.

NOTE: Percent change based on numbers prior to rounding.

 

 

Table 4. Modal Shares of U.S.-Mexico Freight Flows

(millions of current dollars)

Mode

 

2006

2015

2016

Percent Change   2006-2016

Percent Change   2015-2016

All Modes

Imports

198,259

294,741

294,151

48.4

-0.2

Exports

134,167

236,377

230,959

72.1

-2.3

Total

332,426

531,118

525,110

58.0

-1.1

 

 

Share of Total by Mode                                                                         (percent of total value)

Percentage Point Change 2006-2016

Percentage Point Change 2015-2016

All Surface Modes

Imports

76.9

82.9

89.1

12.2

6.1

Exports

82.7

81.3

83.1

0.4

1.8

Total

79.2

82.2

86.4

7.2

4.2

 

 

Truck

Imports

63.8

67.9

72.5

8.7

4.6

Exports

69.3

67.0

69.1

-0.2

2.1

Total

66.0

67.5

71.0

5.0

3.5

 

 

Rail

Imports

13.0

15.0

16.5

3.5

1.5

Exports

12.9

12.3

12.4

-0.5

0.1

Total

13.0

13.8

14.7

1.7

0.9

 

 

Pipeline

Imports

0.0

0.1

0.1

0.0

0.0

Exports

0.5

2.0

1.6

1.1

-0.4

Total

0.2

0.9

0.7

0.5

-0.2

 

 

Vessel

Imports

19.6

7.7

6.2

-13.5

-1.5

Exports

7.5

9.4

9.6

2.1

0.2

Total

14.7

8.5

7.7

-7.0

-0.8

 

 

Air

Imports

2.1

2.2

2.4

0.3

0.1

Exports

5.5

4.1

3.8

-1.7

-0.4

Total

3.5

3.1

3.0

-0.5

-0.1

 

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data as of February 2017.

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. 

* The percent of modal share for all surface modes equals the sum of the share of the truck, rail and pipeline modes.

 

 

Table 5. Top 10 States Freight Flows with Mexico by All Modes of Transportation

Ranked by 2016 Value

(millions of current dollars)

State

2015

2016

Percent Change   2015 - 2016

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Texas

177,997

1

173,711

1

-2.4

California

71,889

2

71,624

2

-0.4

Michigan

55,009

3

61,087

3

11.0

Illinois

22,195

4

21,214

4

-4.4

Arizona

16,760

5

15,777

5

-5.9

Ohio

14,683

6

14,416

6

-1.8

Tennessee

11,995

7

11,788

7

-1.7

Georgia

9,732

9

9,991

8

2.7

Indiana

10,059

10

9,380

9

-6.8

Florida

8,266

10

8,614

10

4.2

 

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data as of February 2017.

NOTE: Percent change based on numbers prior to rounding.

 

 Fig3

 

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data as of February 2017.

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. 

 

 Fig4

 

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data as of February 2017.

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.