Figure 1.  Percent Change in Value of U.S.-NAFTA Freight Flows by Mode: 
September 2013 - September 2014

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

U.S.-NAFTA freight totaled $102.2 billion in September 2014 as all five major transportation modes – air, vessel, pipeline, rail, and trucks – carried more U.S.-NAFTA freight than in September 2013, 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). September was the seventh consecutive month with U.S.-NAFTA freight flows exceeding $100 billion.

Freight by Mode

In September, the value of commodities moving by pipeline grew by the largest percentage of any mode, 21.0 percent. Truck freight increased 8.6 percent followed by vessel, 5.4 percent; air, 2.2 percent; and rail, 0.6 percent (Figure 1, Table 2).

Of the $7.8 billion increase in the value of US-NAFTA freight from September 2013, truck freight contributed the most, $4.9 billion, followed by pipeline, $1.4 billion (Table 2).

Trucks carry three-fifths 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 $31.2 billion of exports and $30.1 billion of imports.  

Rail remained the second largest mode, moving 15.0 percent of all U.S.-NAFTA freight, followed by vessel at 8.4 percent, pipeline at 7.9 percent, and air at 3.7 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.9 percent of the total U.S.-NAFTA freight flows (Table 2).

U.S.-Canada Freight

Figure 2.  Percent Change in Value of U.S.-Canada Freight Flows by Mode:
September 2013 - September 2014

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

Year-over-year, the percent change in the value of U.S.-Canada freight moved by pipeline increased the most of any mode, growing 19.2 percent (Figure 2). Freight moved by truck increased 6.0 percent and rail by 3.3 percent, while air and vessel were essentially unchanged.

Trucks carried 54.0 percent of the $57.4 billion of freight to and from Canada, followed by rail, 16.1 percent; pipeline, 13.3 percent; vessel, 5.3 percent and air, 4.3 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 83.4 percent of the total U.S.-Canada freight flows (Table 4).

U.S.-Mexico Freight

Figure 3.  Percent Change in Value of U.S.-Mexico Freight Flows by Mode:
September 2013 - September 2014

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

Year-over-year, the value of U.S.-Mexico pipeline freight rose 60.5 percent, the largest percentage increase of any mode (Figure 3), due to an increase in U.S. exports of mineral fuels.  Freight moved by truck increased 11.5 percent; vessel, 8.5 percent; and air 5.3 percent. The 3.3 percent decline in rail freight was principally due to a decline in vehicles and parts trade.

Trucks carried 67.6 percent of the $44.9 billion of freight to and from Mexico, followed by rail, 13.5 percent; vessel, 12.4 percent; air, 3.0 percent; and pipeline, 1.0 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.2 percent of the total U.S.-Mexico freight flows (Table 6).

Commodities
In September 2014, the top commodity category transported between the U.S. and Canada was mineral fuels, of which $7.6 billion, or 61.6 percent, moved by pipeline (Table 5). The top commodity category transported between the U.S. and Mexico in September 2014 was electrical machinery, of which $7.8 billion, or 91.5 percent, moved by trucks (Table 7). 

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 October TransBorder numbers for Jan. 8.

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

(millions of current dollars)

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

(millions of current dollars)

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: https://data.bts.gov/stories/s/myhq-rm6q.

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

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)

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: https://data.bts.gov/stories/s/myhq-rm6q.

Table 5. Top Commodity Transported between the U.S. and Canada for Each Mode of Transportation, September 2014

(millions of current dollars)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

Note: Numbers may 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)

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: https://data.bts.gov/stories/s/myhq-rm6q.

Table 7. Top Commodity Transported between the U.S. and Mexico for Each Mode of Transportation, September 2014

(millions of current dollars)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data

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