BTS Reports Strong Surface Trade Growth With Canada, Mexico

May 2, 2012 by Mike Feazel|Commerce Dept.

Trade using surface transportation between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico was up 17.4% in February from February 2011, reaching $78.1 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the Department of Transportation. The trade figure increase for February from January was 3.4%, BTS said.

Surface transportation includes freight moved by truck, rail, pipeline, mail, Foreign Trade Zones, and other. In February, 87.4 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved via land, 8.7 percent moved by vessel, and 3.9 percent moved by air, BTS said.

The trade growth occurred for both Canada and Mexico, the figures showed. U.S.-Canada was $45.4 billion, up 13.7%, and U.S.-Mexico was $32.7 billion, up 23%. The biggest commodity category transported between the U.S. and Canada by surface in February was vehicles, valued at $8.7 billion, BTS said.