Canada-U.S. Freight Value Falls Nearly 14 Percent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The value of freight movements between the U.S. and Canada fell significantly in August, according to a new report.

The U.S. Transportation Department reports it totaled US$48 billion in August, down 13.6 percent from August 2014, as all modes of transportation carried less value of U.S.-Canada freight than a year earlier, due to lower mineral fuel prices.

Mineral fuels are a large share of freight carried by pipeline and vessel, which were down 35.1 percent and 40.2 percent, respectively, year-over-year.

In August, the top commodity category for all modes transported between the U.S. and Canada was vehicles and parts, of which US$5.5 billion, or 61.1 percent, moved by truck.

Trucks carried 58.1 percent of the US$48 billion of freight to and from Canada, followed by rail at 15.8 percent, pipeline at 9.6 percent, vessel at 4.9 percent and air at 4.3 percent.

The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 83.5 percent of the total U.S.-Canada freight flows.

This happened as the total value of freight moved between the U.S. and its neighbors of Canada and Mexico fell 8.1 percent in August from a year earlier, totaling US$92.4 billion, as all modes of transportation carried less value of freight than a year earlier.

This was also due large decreases in the value of commodities moved by pipeline and vessel due to the reduced prices for mineral fuel.


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