NAFTA trade up 75 percent since 2009

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bts30_13_2 bts30_13_1 bts30_13_3The value of goods moved between the U.S. and its North American Free Trade Agreement partners Canada and Mexico was up in April 2013 74.4 percent from April 2009, the heart of the most recent recession, according to data released this week by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

That figure does not account for inflation, however.

$99 billion worth of freight was moved between the U.S. and NAFTA partners in April, and 60.6 percent —$60 billion — of that was carried via truck. That number — $99 billion — also represents a 7.4 percent increase over April 2012.

Surface transportation modes overall — truck, rail and pipeline — carried 82.5 percent of the NAFTA freight, BTS says.

Trucks carried 55.2 percent of the $54.7 billion of freight flow between the U.S. and Canada and 67.3 percent of the $44.2 billion in freight moved between the U.S. and Mexico. Surface transportation accounted for 84 percent of U.S.-Canadian freight movement and 80.7 percent of freight movement between the U.S. and Mexico.

Month over month, freight flow between the U.S. and NAFTA partners rose 3.6 percent from March to April. Freight movement via truck increased 4.6 percent.

Year over year, the value of freight carried by truck rose 8.6 percent.

Michigan led all states in goods moved to and from Canada with $6.4 billion. Ohio and New Jersey, however, saw year-over-year increases of 15.9 percent and 15.6 percent respectively.

Texas again led all states in movement of goods to and from Mexico, accounting for $17 billion. Louisiana however saw a large year-over-year increase in transported goods with Mexico — 61.1 percent.