Trucks moved freight valued at $60.6 billion between the U.S. and fellow North American countries, Canada and Mexico, in January 2018, up 10.2 percent compared to January 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Rail moved freight valued at $13.3 billion, up 0.6 percent during the same period.
The $60.6 billion in North American freight hauled by truck was divided between the two borders: $27.1 billion on the U.S.-Canada border and $33.5 billion on the U.S. Mexico border.
Compared to the previous year: U.S.-Canada truck freight rose 6.2 percent while U.S.-Mexico truck freight rose 13.6 percent compared to January 2017.
Top states for shipments flowing through their ports: Texas with $24.8 billion of truck freight up 14.3 percent from 2017, Michigan with $13.3 billion up 5.3 percent, and New York with $7.4 billion up 3.2 percent.
The top commodities moved were computers and parts valued at $11.5 billion, electrical machinery at $9.8 billion, and motor vehicles and parts at $9.0 billion.
U.S.-Canada freight flows in both directions in January 2018, were $6.8 billion by pipeline, $2.2 billion by vessel, and $2.1 billion by air. Almost all of pipeline freight between the U.S. and Canada were mineral fuels, primarily oil and gas.
U.S.-Mexico freight flows in both directions in January 2018, were $4.6 billion moved by vessel, $1.4 billion moved by air and $805 million moved by pipeline. Of freight flows by vessel, $2.8 billion, or 62.3 percent were mineral fuels, primarily oil and gas shipments between Gulf of Mexico ports in the U.S. and Mexico – with over half of those shipments going through Texas ports. In January 2018, $444 million or 32.6 percent of shipments by air between the U.S. and Mexico were of electrical machinery. Almost all of pipeline freight flows between the U.S. and Mexico were of mineral fuels, primarily oil and gas.
