BTS Statistics Release: January 2017 North American Freight Numbers

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BTS 16-17

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Contact: Dave Smallen

Tel: 202-366-5568

david.smallen@dot.gov

 

BTS Statistics Release: January 2017 North American Freight Numbers

 

 

 Fig1

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

 

 

U.S.-NAFTA freight totaled $88.0 billion in current dollars as all five major transportation modes carried more freight by value with North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico in January 2017 compared to January 2016, according to the TransBorder Freight Data released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) (Figure 2, Table 1).

 

The 6.7 percent rise from January 2016 was the largest year-over-year increase since the September 2014 increase over September 2013. It was also the third straight month in which the year-over-year value of U.S.-NAFTA freight increased from the same month of the previous year (Figure 1).

 

 

Freight by Mode

 

 Fig2

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

 

  

The value of commodities moving by pipeline increased 42.7 percent, vessel by 41.8 percent, air by 13.7 percent, rail by 5.5 percent, and truck by 0.4 percent (Figure 2, Table 2). The large percentage increase in the value of goods moving by pipeline and vessel was largely due to a 66 percent increase in the year-over-year price of crude oil between January 2016 and January 2017.

 

Trucks carried 62.5 percent of U.S.-NAFTA freight and continued to be the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.-NAFTA partners. Trucks accounted for $28.2 billion of the $47.8 billion of imports (59.1 percent) and $26.8 billion of the $40.2 billion of exports (66.6 percent) (Table 2).

 

Rail remained the second largest mode by value, moving 15.0 percent of all U.S.-NAFTA freight, followed by vessel, 7.0 percent; pipeline, 6.4 percent; and air, 3.9 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 84.0 percent of the total value of U.S.-NAFTA freight flows (Table 2).

 

 

U.S.-Canada Freight

  

 Fig3

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

 

From January 2016 to January 2017, the value of U.S.-Canada freight flows increased by 7.1 percent to $45.0 billion as the value of freight on five major modes increased from a year earlier. The value of freight carried on pipeline increased by 44.0 percent, air by 17.0 percent, vessel by 13.0 percent, rail by 8.5 percent, and truck by 0.5 percent. The increase in the value of commodities moved in pipeline reflects the increased value of mineral fuels year over year (Figure 3, Table 3).

 

Trucks carried 56.8 percent of the value of the freight to and from Canada. Rail carried 16.1 percent followed by pipeline, 11.8 percent; air, 4.8 percent; and vessel, 4.1 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 84.7 percent of the value of total U.S.-Canada freight flows (Table 3).  

 

U.S.-Mexico Freight

 

 

Fig4 

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

 

From January 2016 to January 2017, the value of U.S.-Mexico freight flows increased by 6.3 percent to $43.0 billion as the value of freight on five major modes increased from a year earlier. The value of commodities moved by vessel increased by 58.9 percent, pipeline by 26.4 percent, air by 8.6 percent, rail by 2.1 percent, and truck by 0.3 percent. The increase in the value of commodities moved by vessel reflects the increased value of mineral fuels year over year (Figure 4, Table 4).

 

Trucks carried 68.6 percent of the value of the freight to and from Mexico. Rail carried 13.9 percent of the value of freight to and from Mexico followed by vessel, 10.1 percent; air, 3.0 percent; and pipeline, 0.8 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 83.2 percent of the value of total U.S.-Mexico freight flows (Table 4).

 

Commodities

In January 2017, the top commodity category transported between the U.S. and Canada by all modes was vehicles and parts, of which $4.6 billion, or 57.3 percent, moved by truck and $3.2 billion, or 40.1 percent, moved by rail (Figure 5). The top commodity category transported between the U.S. and Mexico by all modes in January 2017 was electrical machinery, of which $7.4 billion, or 91.4 percent, moved by truck (Figure 6).

 

Reporting Notes

BTS 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 seasonally adjusted and 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 Bureau of Labor Statistics indexes used in the adjustments for inflation and exchange rates might be revised in each of the three months after original publication. For previous statistical releases and summary tables, see TransBorder Releases. See TransBorder Freight Data for data from previous months, and for additional state, port, and commodity data. BTS has scheduled the release of February TransBorder numbers for April 27.

 

 

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

(millions of current dollars)

Month

2015

2016

2017

Percent Change

2015-2016

Percent Change

2016-2017

January

89,258

82,430

87,960

-7.7

6.7

February

85,723

84,038

 

-2.0

 

March

96,070

90,462

 

-5.8

 

April

93,327

90,380

 

-3.2

 

May

92,707

89,840

 

-3.1

 

June

99,030

92,671

 

-6.4

 

July

92,995

83,725

 

-10.0

 

August

92,442

93,126

 

0.7

 

September

93,246

91,126

 

-2.3

 

October

96,624

93,165

 

-3.6

 

November

88,154

91,089

 

3.3

 

December

86,748

87,086

 

0.4

 

Year-to-date

89,258

82,430

87,960

-7.7

6.7

Annual

1,106,325

1,069,138

 

-3.4

 

 

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 2016

January 2017

Percent Change January

2016-2017

All Modes

Imports

44,565

47,764

7.2

Exports

37,865

40,196

6.2

Total

82,430

87,960

6.7

 

 

     

All Surface Modes

Imports

39,847

41,494

4.1

Exports

31,393

32,355

3.1

Total

71,240

73,849

3.7

 

 

     

Truck

Imports

28,387

28,222

-0.6

Exports

26,390

26,781

1.5

Total

54,777

55,003

0.4

 

 

     

Rail

Imports

8,343

8,899

6.7

Exports

4,163

4,300

3.3

Total

12,506

13,199

5.5

 

 

     

Pipeline

Imports

3,116

4,373

40.3

Exports

840

1,274

51.7

Total

3,957

5,647

42.7

 

 

     

Vessel

Imports

2,239

3,291

47.0

Exports

2,119

2,891

36.4

Total

4,359

6,182

41.8

 

 

     

Air

Imports

1,278

1,474

15.3

Exports

1,736

1,955

12.6

Total

3,014

3,429

13.7

 

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 TransBorder Freight Data

 

 

Table 3. Value of Monthly U.S.-Canada Freight Flows by Mode of Transportation

(millions of current dollars)

 

Mode

 

January 2016

January 2017

Percent Change January

2016-2017

All Modes

Imports

22,164

24,282

9.6

Exports

19,799

20,663

4.4

Total

41,963

44,945

7.1

 

 

     

All Surface Modes

Imports

19,587

21,205

8.3

Exports

16,150

16,842

4.3

Total

35,737

38,048

6.5

 

 

     

Truck

Imports

11,709

11,782

0.6

Exports

13,677

13,729

0.4

Total

25,387

25,511

0.5

 

 

     

Rail

Imports

4,782

5,061

5.8

Exports

1,887

2,177

15.4

Total

6,669

7,238

8.5

 

 

     

Pipeline

Imports

3,096

4,362

40.9

Exports

585

937

60.0

Total

3,681

5,299

44.0

 

 

     

Vessel

Imports

1,031

1,421

37.9

Exports

587

406

-30.7

Total

1,617

1,828

13.0

 

 

     

Air

Imports

797

933

17.1

Exports

1,039

1,216

17.0

Total

1,836

2,149

17.0

 

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 TransBorder Freight Data

 

 

 Fig5

 

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data 

NOTES: Import and export numbers might not add to totals due to rounding.

 

 

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

(millions of current dollars) 

Mode

 

January 2016

January 2017

Percent Change January

2016-2017

All Modes

Imports

22,401

23,482

4.8

Exports

18,066

19,534

8.1

Total

40,467

43,015

6.3

 

 

     

All Surface Modes

Imports

20,260

20,289

0.1

Exports

15,243

15,513

1.8

Total

35,503

35,801

0.8

 

 

     

Truck

Imports

16,678

16,440

-1.4

Exports

12,712

13,053

2.7

Total

29,390

29,492

0.3

 

 

     

Rail

Imports

3,561

3,838

7.8

Exports

2,276

2,123

-6.7

Total

5,837

5,961

2.1

 

 

     

Pipeline

Imports

21

11

-48.7

Exports

255

337

32.5

Total

275

348

26.4

 

 

     

Vessel

Imports

1,208

1,870

54.8

Exports

1,533

2,485

62.1

Total

2,741

4,355

58.9

 

 

     

Air

Imports

481

540

12.4

Exports

697

739

6.0

Total

1,178

1,280

8.6

 

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 TransBorder Freight Data

 

 Fig6

 

 

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

NOTES: Import and export numbers might not add to totals due to rounding.