NAFTA Shipments Continue to Grow

June 19, 2007
For the entire year of 2006, the value of all US-NAFTA shipments by all modes was $866.1 billion, according to the US Department of Transportation's (US-DOT)

For the entire year of 2006, the value of all US-NAFTA shipments by all modes was $866.1 billion, according to the US Department of Transportation's (US-DOT) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Up for the year, the top ten states for NAFTA trade during the year were Texas (+11.4%), Michigan (+4.8%), California (+9.5%), Illinois (+16.5%), New York (+8.9%), Ohio (+9.1%), Pennsylvania (+15.9%), Tennessee (+11.8%), Indiana (+4.6%) and Washington (+8.3%).

The top five commodities moving by all modes in 2006, were motor vehicles and parts (17.7%), mineral fuels, oils and waxes (14.0%), Electrical machinery, equipment and parts (12.4%), Computers industrial machinery and parts (12.3%) and plastics and articles listed as such (4.0%).

The upward trend continues in 2007, with official governmental figures showing that US surface trade with Mexico and Canada reached a record monthly high in March 2007. Some 90% of US trade moves by truck, rail or pipeline. In March of this year, trucks moved a total of $49.1 billion in trade, of which $29.0 billion was with Canada and $20.1 billion with Mexico.

The BTS reports that for 2006 the top 10 ports on the northern border moved 92% of all truck freight between the two countries, while on the southern border the top 10 ports handled 97% of the truck freight. In all, trucks moved 62% of all NAFTA freight in 2006, worth $534 billion. The top three northern land ports were Detroit, Buffalo-Niagara and Port Huron. The top three southern ports were Laredo, El Paso and Otay Mesa.