Economic indicators showed a continued upswell in cross-border freight heading to and from the U.S. and NAFTA trade partners and a potential capacity strain coming.
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Recent conditions a boon for shippers: FTR’s monthly Shippers Conditions Index — which sometimes can present the different side its monthly Trucking Conditions Index — saw an uptick in December, pointing to improving conditions for shippers in the month. Lower fuel costs and the suspension of certain hours-of-service regulations drove the move to more positive conditions, FTR says.
The SCI in December read -0.6. Conditions for shippers, however, are likely to deteriorate for shippers in 2015, FTR says, as freight growth and regulatory drag continue to strain capacity.[/gttable]
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Trucking carries NAFTA trade again: The amount of freight moved between the U.S. and its North American Free Trade Agreement partners U.S. and Mexico grew 5.4 percent from the same month in 2013.
Trucks, which moved 59.2 percent of the $95.8 billion in freight, saw a 9.3 percent year-over-year increase in December 2014 from December 2013 — the largest increase of any mode of transportation.
Freight moved by truck between the U.S. and Canada increased 5.2 percent while truck freight between the U.S. and Mexico rose 13.7 percent.
In 2014, $1.1 trillion in goods was moved between the U.S. and NAFTA partners — an increase of 4.5 percent.[/gttable]
