Canada’s surface trade with US rises in June

Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American neighbours, Canada and Mexico, was 11-percent higher in June 2011 than in June 2010—totalling US$77.5 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the US Department of Transportation.

BTS reported that the value of US surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico rose 52.7 percent in two years from June 2009, but has still only risen 4.6 percent above the level of June 2008, the previous high for any June based on data collection begun in 1994. Surface transportation includes freight movements by truck, rail, pipeline, mail and foreign trade zones. This June, 85.5 percent of US trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved by land, 10.3 percent moved by vessel, and 4.2 percent moved by air. US-Canada surface transportation trade increased compared to June 2010, reaching $46.1 billion—a 9.7-percent increase. In trade by state, Michigan led all states in surface trade with Canada as it has in previous years, at $6.3 billion, a 6.1-percent increase from June 2010.

The value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico gained 0.3 percent in June 2011 from May 2011. Month-to-month changes can be affected by seasonal variations and other factors.