Trucking bears greatest freight load in North America in March

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Trucks carried 60.0% of the $95.6 billion of freight moved in March between Canada, the US and Mexico, followed by rail at 16.5%, vessels at 8.1%, pipelines at 7.0% and air at 3.7%, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the US Department of Transportation.

For March freight flows with Canada, trucks carried 55.1% of the $54.3 billion, followed by rail at 17.9%, pipelines at 11.6%, vessels at 4.6% and air at 4.4%, BTS reports.

The value of goods moving between Canada, the US and Mexico by all modes of transportation decreased by 4.0% from March 2012 and rose 63.7% from March 2009. Goods moving by truck, pipeline, vessel, and air each declined, while rail freight increased from the same month last year.

By value, truck is the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both US-NAFTA partners, accounting for $29.6 billion of exports and $27.7 billion of imports.

Freight flows on all modes of transportation between the US and its NAFTA partners increased 8.0% in March from February, measured in current dollars.  Freight moving across the border by truck increased by 9.7%, while freight moving by rail increased by 17.0% from one month prior.

From March 2012 to March 2013, the value of freight carried by truck fell by 4.1% while the value of freight carried by rail increased 7.8%.

In March, Michigan led all states in goods transported to and from Canada, at $6.5 billion. Washington had the largest year-to-year percentage increase among the top 10 states, at 25.6%. Illinois had the largest year-to-year decrease at 16.0%. The top commodity category transported between the US and Canada in March was vehicles (other than railway) moved by truck, valued at $6.0 billion, of which $3.6 billion was exported.

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Truck News is Canada's leading trucking newspaper - news and information for trucking companies, owner/operators, truck drivers and logistics professionals working in the Canadian trucking industry.


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