Trucking, which carries three-fifths of U.S.-NAFTA trade, rose 0.7% while rail rose 3%. Vessel declined 2.6% and air 2.4%.

Three of the five transportation modes carried more U.S.-NAFTA trade in August 2013 than in August 2012 as the value of overall U.S. trade with its NAFTA partners, Canada and Mexico, rose 2% from year to year, according to the August NAFTA freight data released today by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the U.S. Department of Transportation.     

BTS reported that pipelines showed the most year-to-year growth at 18.2%. The increase in the value of freight carried by pipelines reflects the rise in prices for oil and other petroleum products, the primary commodity transported by pipelines.

Trucks carried 59.9% of the $96.5 billion of U.S.-NAFTA trade in August 2013, accounting for $30.3 billion of exports and $27.5 billion of imports. Trucks were followed by rail at 15.6%, vessels at 8.5%, pipeline at 7.4% and air at 3.7%. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.9% of the total NAFTA freight flows.

For trade with Canada in August, trucks carried 54.6% of the $53.4 billion of the freight. For trade with Mexico, trucks carried 66.3% of the $43.2 billion of the freight.