WASHINGTON (AP) — Trade via trucks, trains and pipelines between the U.S. and its North American Free Trade Agreement partners rose last year, but December's tally remained below recent record levels.
The Transportation Department said Monday that surface-transportation trade between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico rose 3.1 percent to $60.9 billion in December compared with the same month in 2006. November's total was $70.35 billion and October's tally was a record $74.25 billion, according to the department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
For all of 2007, trade rose 4.9 percent to $797.3 billion.
Surface transportation consists largely of freight moved through trucks, rails and pipelines. About 90 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moves on land.
Imports rose 1.7 percent to $34.5 billion, and exports of $26.41 billion represented a 5 percent increase compared with December 2006.
Trade with Canada rose 3.7 percent to $39.61 billion in December, while trade with Mexico rose 2.1 percent to $21.29 billion, according to the government data.
