NAFTA Surface Trade Up 13.8 Percent in September

The value of trade using surface transportation between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico rose 13.8 percent in September from a year earlier, the Transportation Department reported.

The $77.7 billion in cross-border surface represented a 35.7 percent increase from September 2009 and a 8.3 percent increase from September 2008.

U.S.-Canada trade rose 14.7 percent to $46.1 billion, a 14.7 percent increase. U.S.-Mexico trade rose 12.5 percent to $31.6 billion.

By the Numbers: U.S. Foreign Trade

The DOT statistics include the value of freight moving by truck, rail, pipeline and by mail and through foreign trade zones. More than 85 percent of the trade moved by truck.

The value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico was down 3.3 percent in September from August, but the DOT noted that 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.