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Summary of Major Reporting ChangesSeveral significant reporting changes have occurred since the release of the first data month, April 1993. These are noted here, and also are discussed in detail in subsequent sections. January 2007Starting January 2007, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics will use a new data structure to release the TransBorder data because of changes made by the Census Bureau to allow users to simultaneously access commodity and port information. See detailed changes below. January 2004With the release of January 2004 statistics, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics started incorporating the Air and Vessel data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. The data for Air and Vessel are available in the same format as the land modes under a separate group of tables. See detailed changes below. January 2003With the release of December 2002 statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau discontinued the state export series based on the exporter location (EL). Beginning with the January 2003 statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau compiled and released state exports based only on the origin of movement series. As a result BTS could not provide four tables that were available in prior years. Those tables are: 3B Exports to Mexico with State of Exporter and Commodity Detail, 4B Exports to Canada with State of Exporter and Commodity Detail, 5B Exports to Mexico with NTAR of Exporter and Geographic Detail, and 6B Exports to Canada with NTAR of Exporter and Geographic Detail. See detailed changes below. January 2001Beginning with the January 2001 data, the U.S. Census Bureau, at the request of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, began incorporating data for estimates of shipments with late trade documentation filings into the monthly data for U.S. exports to Canada. Previously, Census had made these adjustments on an annual basis. Since the TransBorder Freight Data are a subset of overall U.S. trade statistics, and to ensure consistency with these, the estimates for these U.S. to Canada export shipments are now incorporated into the monthly data for district/port code 70XX, commodity code (TSUSA or SCH-B) 98 (Special Classifications), and mode "other" (mode 8). Census estimates that these monthly revisions will be in the range of $150 to $250 million. (For comparative purposes, for three months in the year 2000 (January, July and September), the value of district/port code 70XX ranged from $855 to $981 million, the value of commodity code 98 ranged from $222 to $293 million and the value of mode other ranged from $878 million to $993 million.) See detailed changes below. May 1997Beginning with the May 1997 data, Statistics Canada changed some of its reporting procedures of the "freight" field. The "freight" field measures the total freight charges to transport the goods from the place of direct shipment in the U.S. to the consignee in Canada. See detailed changes below. January 1997Transshipments from a third country through Canada or Mexico to the U.S. or from the U.S. to a third country through Canada or Mexico were removed from the dataset. Additional port detail was added. Canadian and Mexican border customs districts now include all public ports. In addition, some additional non-border or inland ports are now identified separately. Non-border ports with low activity are combined at their parent Customs district and reported by an XX i.e., (35XX). Due to increased geographic specificity, individual record counts were deleted from the dataset. A summary of record counts are now presented by country, direction of trade, and mode of transportation. See detailed changes below. January 1996Shipping weight for truck and rail shipments imported into the United States through Canada or Mexico from a third country (i.e. transshipments) was added. (Note: Beginning with the January 1997 data month, transshipment data were removed. See detailed changes below. April 1995Shipping weight for Mexican imports was added. For U.S. exports to Canada, the cost of moving goods from the place of direct shipment in the U.S. to the consignee in Canada (data field - Freight) was added. The mode of transporta and foreign trade zones were added some of to the import tables. This new mode of transportation (MOT) category was added in recognition of the increased activity in foreign trade zones along the U.S./Mexican and U.S./Canadian borders. See detailed changes below. April 1994Increased commodity detail and geographic detail began to be reported together in a number of files. For exports, the 98 Schedule B 2 digit commodity groups replaced the previous 11 Schedule B Groups; the U.S. state of origin replaced the U.S. region of origin; the Canadian province and Mexican state of destination replaced Canadian and Mexican regions of destination; and the National Transportation Analysis Region (NTAR) of the U.S. exporter was added. For imports, the 98 2 digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (TSUSA) commodity groups replaced the 11 TSUSA groups; the Canadian province of origin replaced the Canadian region of origin; and the U.S. state of destination replaced the U.S. region of destination. (Note: At the 2-digit level the commodities of Schedule B and TSUSA are the same.) Details of Major Reporting ChangesChanges beginning with January 2007Starting January 2007, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics used a new data structure to release the TransBorder data for download. The new data structure allows users to access information on U.S. - TransBorder trade by port and commodity detail. Prior to January 2007, data by port and commodity detail were not available for download or analysis for the land modes. The following table shows the inter-relationship between the new and the old data structure. It provides a crosswalk from the three new tables, starting January 2007, to all the previous data tables prior to 2007.
Note: AV denotes Air and Vessel. Changes beginning with January 2004With the release of January 2004 statistics the Bureau of Transportation Statistics started incorporating the vessel and air data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau into the TransBorder data. The vessel and air data provided information on U.S. - TransBorder trade similar to U.S TransBorder surface freight. For the first time additional information such as U.S. TransBorder trade by Port and Commodity was available. Reporting Changes beginning with January 2003 DataWith the release of December 2002 statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau discontinued the state export series based on the exporter location (EL). Beginning with January 2003 statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau compiled and released state exports based only on the origin of movement (OM) series. Users should be cautious in interpreting the exporter location (EL) series and are advised that comparisons of 2000 and 2001 state totals to those of previous years may be misleading. The state export series based on the exporter's location, the EL series has changed significantly since late 1999. An analysis of the locations reported by exporters in 2000 and 2001 as compared to 1999 has shown that most of the changes involve shipments reported electronically through the Automated Export System (AES). AES, a joint effort of the U.S. Customs Service and the Census Bureau, was first implemented in 1995. The results of their analysis coincided with the surge in reporting through AES in late 1999 through 2001, when the former Automated Export Reporting Program (AERP) was discontinued and alternative ways of filing through AES (AES DIRECT, PC Link, and Web Link) were introduced. While AES has significantly improved the overall quality and coverage of the export data, it has changed filing practices, especially the addresses reported for multiple location companies. The exporter's location is based on the ZIP code in the exporter's address as reported on the Shipper's Export Declaration or its electronic equivalent. As a result of these changes BTS can no longer provide four tables that have been released in prior years. Those tables are: 3B Exports to Mexico with State of Exporter and Commodity Detail, 4B Exports to Canada with State of Exporter and Commodity Detail, 5B Exports to Mexico with NTAR of Exporter and Geographic Detail, and 6B Exports to Canada with NTAR of Exporter and Geographic Detail. Reporting Changes beginning with January 2001 DataBeginning with the January 2001 data, the U.S. Census Bureau, at the request of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, began incorporating data for estimates of shipments with late trade documentation filings into the monthly data for U.S. exports to Canada. Previously, Census had made these adjustments on an annual basis. Since the TransBorder Surface Freight Data are a subset of overall U.S. trade statistics, and to ensure consistency with these, the estimates for these U.S. to Canada export shipments are now incorporated into the monthly data for district/port code 70XX, commodity code (TSUSA or SCH-B) 98 (Special Classifications), and mode "other" (mode 8). Census estimates that these monthly revisions will be in the range of $150 to $250 million. (For comparative purposes, for three months in the year 2000 (January, July and September), the value of district/port code 70XX ranged from $855 to $981 million, the value of commodity code 98 ranged from $222 to $293 million and the value of mode other ranged from $878 million to $993 million.) Reporting Changes beginning with January 1997 DataBased on user feedback, several major reporting changes have been implemented, beginning with the January 1997 data. These include deletion of transshipment data, addition of additional port detail and deletion of record count information. Each of these changes are discussed in greater detail below. Deletion of Transshipments Transshipments, that is, shipments from a third country through Canada or Mexico to the U.S. or from the U.S. to a third country through Canada or Mexico have been deleted from the public files beginning with the January 1997 data. (Note: Prior to January 1997, documentation for this dataset referred to this type of activity as in transit shipments.) Prior to January 1997 statistics, this dataset included transshipments in its detailed tables, and credited those shipments to either Canada or Mexico even when the actual origin or final destination of the goods was in a third country. However, in other Census trade statistics, transshipments through Canada and Mexico are credited to the true country of origin or final destination. Therefore, to make this dataset more comparable to other Census trade statistics (such as the "U.S. Exports of Merchandise" and "U.S. Imports of Merchandise" both on CD-Rom and the "FT920: U.S. Merchandise Trade: Selected Highlights"), detailed information on transshipments has been removed. The deletion of the transshipment data has made this dataset more comparable to other Census foreign trade statistics, but the correspondence will not necessarily be exact every data month. This is due to adjustments to the final Census trade statistics. Therefore, comparisons of TransBorder exports or imports with published data in the Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, "FT920: U.S. Merchandise Trade: Selected Highlights," is close but not exact. Table 3 of the FT920 can be used to compare export totals, and Table 8 can be used for imports. In both cases, the maritime vessel and air value of shipments will need to be subtracted from the total value to estimate surface TransBorder exports and imports. Comparisons can also be made by using the Census CD-Rom "U.S. Exports of Merchandise" and "U.S. Imports of Merchandise." A monthly summary of the value of transshipments is now presented by country, direction of trade, and mode of transportation for truck, rail, and all other (mail, pipeline, other, and foreign trade zone (FTZ)). This is provided in a spreadsheet file, such as "trans197.wk1" for January 1997. For time series consistency, value data will need to be adjusted before comparing pre and post January 1997 data. This is because the pre-January 1997 data includes transshipments while the post-January 1997 data does not. A DOT analysis was conducted to estimate the proportion transshipments were of export and import trade between the U.S. and Canada and the U.S. and Mexico. The appropriate proportions could then be subtracted from the total export and import values for pre-January 1997 data to provide an approximation of the value of pre-January 1997 trade without transshipments included. For the period of examined, transshipments accounted for an average of 17.7% of total U.S. exports to Canada plus transshipments. The comparable figure was 6.2% of the total U.S. imports and transshipments from Canada. Transshipments through Mexico were considerably smaller accounting for 0.4% on the export and 1.7% on the imports from Mexico side. Modal variations also occurred. A cumulative comparison for the period January 1997 to April 1997 is provided in the file, "TSHIP4MO.WK1" . Port Detail Additional port detail was added beginning with the January 1997 data. Canadian and Mexican border customs districts now include all ports within these districts, not just the ports at the border. (These are denoted with a "B" in the file, DEPES.197 ). In addition, major non-border or inland ports are now are being reported for Canada and Mexico. (These are denoted with an "N" in the file, DEPES.197 ) The remaining ports in non-border districts, however, continue to be summarized at their parent Customs district. (These are denoted with an "X" in the file, DEPES.197 ) Additional information on the source and reliability of port data can be found in the Sources and Reliability Statement for this dataset which is available under the "Methods and Limitations" button on the TransBorder Surface Freight Data homepage at the following URL: http://www.bts.gov/ntda/tbscd/ Deletion of Record Count Due to the increased geographic specificity now provided, individual record counts have been deleted from the dataset beginning with the January 1997 data. Reporting Changes beginning with May 1997 DataBeginning with the May 1997 data, Statistics Canada changed some of its reporting procedures of the "freight" field. The "freight" field measures the total freight charges to transport the goods from the place of direct shipment in the U.S. to the consignee in Canada. (Under A data exchange agreement between the United States and Canada, the U.S. obtains all of its data for the U.S. exports to Canada from Statistics Canada.) Statistics Canada edits all reported data for the "freight" field. A small percentage of the reported data are accepted during the edit process. The edit process checks that each record is within a certain range for each two-digit commodity. If the reported data is outside this range, Statistics Canada imputes a new value for the "freight" field. Before May 1997, Statistics Canada imputed the "freight" field by applying a percent to the value of each record. This percent was consistent, regardless of commodity or the method of transportation. However, Statistics Canada analysis determined that some of the imputed values for the "freight" field may have been over-estimated. Consequently, Statistics Canada changed its method of imputation during the editing process. The new imputation process now applies various percentages to the reported data based on the two-digit commodity group, but still without regard to method of transportation. This new imputation method has resulted in lower reported values for the "freight" field for data subsequent to May 1997. Users should note that while the ratio of the "freight" field to value varies at the micro level, this ratio is relatively consistent at the aggregate level, from month to month. January 1996 - December 1996 DataStarting with the January 1996 data, the Census Bureau included shipping weight for road and rail shipments imported into the United States through Canada or Mexico from a third country (i.e., in-transit shipments.) For the January through March 1996 data, Census estimated these shipping weights using factors for each 2-digit commodity group for the particular mode. Reported shipping weight data became available with the April 1996 data. For the January 1996 imports through Mexico from a third country, Census estimated the shipping weight of 5.6 million kilograms, which represents 0.3 percent of the 1.6 billion kilograms of overland Mexican shipments. For the January 1996 imports through Canada from a third country, Census estimated the shipping weight of 160 million kilograms, which represents 1.1 percent of 14.8 billion kilograms of overland Canadian shipments. Two additional changes have affected this dataset's field structure. In April 1995, the data field "FREIGHT" was added and indicates the total freight charges to transport the goods from the place of direct shipment in the U.S. to the consignee in Canada. This field is now available for Exports to Canada (files D4A, D4B, D6A, and D6B). In addition in July 1995, a new disaggregated mode of transport (DISAGMOT) "9" was added, for imports from Mexico and Canada into U.S. Foreign Trade Zones (files D09, D10, D11, D12). This new mode of transportation (MOT) category was added in recognition of the increased activity in foreign trade zones along the U.S./Mexican and U.S./Canadian borders. Although FTZ is being treated as a MOT in this dataset, the mode of transportation for a specific shipment into or out of a foreign trade zone is unknown because Customs does not collect this information. In previous data months, these shipments had been incorrectly included as rail shipments. April 1995 - December 1995 DataSeveral reporting changes occured beginning with the April 1995 data. The field shipping weight (SHIPWT) was added to the table for Imports from Mexico (files D09 and D11) in addition to already being provided for Imports from Canada (files D10 and D12). In April 1995, the data field "FREIGHT" was added and indicates the total freight charges to transport the goods from the place of direct shipment in the U.S. to the consignee in Canada. This field was available for Exports to Canada (files D4A, D4B, D6A, and D6B). In addition in July 1995, a new disaggregated mode of transport (DISAGMOT) "9" was added, for imports from Mexico and Canada into U.S. Foreign Trade Zones (files D09, D10, D11, D12). This new mode of transportation (MOT) category was added in recognition of the increased activity in foreign trade zones along the U.S./Mexican and U.S./Canadian borders. Although FTZ is being treated as a MOT in this dataset, the mode of transportation for a specific shipment into or out of a foreign trade zone is unknown because Customs does not collect this information. In previous data months, these shipments had been incorrectly included as rail shipments. April 1994 - March 1995 DataSeveral reporting changes occured beginning with the April 1994 data. The combination of geographic and commodity detail permitted in a number of files was expanded. For exports , the 98 Schedule B 2-digit commodity groups replaced the previous 11 Schedule B Groups; the U.S. state of origin replaced the U.S. region of origin; the Canadian province and Mexican state of destination replaced Canadian and Mexican regions of destination; and the National Transportation Analysis Region (NTAR) and U.S. state of the U.S. exporter was added. For imports , the 98 2-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (TSUSA) commodity groups replaced the 11 TSUSA groups; the U.S. state of destination replaced the U.S. region of destination; and the Canadian province of origin replaced the Canadian region of origin. (Note: The 98 2-digit commodities of Schedule B and TSUSA are the same.) |
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