Joseph Bonney, Senior Editor | Feb 28, 2012 11:29AM EST
U.S. surface transportation trade in December with Canada and Mexico totaled $74.2 billion, an 11.6 percent increase from a year earlier, according to the Transportation Department.
Trade with the United States’ North American Free Trade Agreement partners, rose 27 percent from December 2009 and 40.3 percent above the recession levels of December 2008.
Surface transportation includes freight movements by truck, rail, pipeline, mail, and through foreign trade zones. In December, 85.5 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved via land, 10 percent moved by vessel, and 4.5 percent moved by air.
U.S.-Canada trade totaled $44.2 billion, an 11.2 percent increase. U.S.-Mexico reaching $30.0 billion, a 12.1 percent increase. The value of cross-border trade decreased 3.2 percent in December 2011 from November 2011. Month-to-month changes can be affected by seasonal variations and other factors.
-- Contact Joseph Bonney at jbonney@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter @josephbonney.
