More than 10 Percent of U.S. Freight Is from International Trade, BTS Reports

Contact BTS 4-03 Dave Smallen 202-366-5568

Wednesday, April 2, 2003 -- More than 10 percent of the 16 billion tons of freight moved on the nation's transportation system is international freight, either entering the country as imports or intended for export, according to International Trade and Freight Transportation Trends, a new report released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

Almost 71 percent of the international freight tonnage in 2001 was from imports - up from 65 percent in 1997 - and the remaining 29 percent from exports.

Maritime shipping - which hauls more bulk, low-value goods - carried the largest percentage of U.S. international trade in 2001: 78 percent by tonnage and 38 percent by value. Aviation is used for high-value cargo, with 28 percent of the value but less than 1 percent of the tonnage of U.S. international trade moving by air. Trucking carried 21 percent in 2001 by value.

While all modes were affected by the Sept. 11 attacks, the 13 percent drop in 2001 in the value of air freight activity was the largest decrease of all modes, followed by trucking at 8 percent, maritime at 3 percent and rail at 2 percent.

Other highlights of the report are:

• More than 19 million containers were used to transport imports into the U.S. in 2001 - 6 million by ocean vessels and 13 million by truck and rail from Canada and Mexico - showing the challenge of maintaining transportation security while facilitating efficient freight flows.
• The United States, a major worldwide seller of aircraft, has run a large deficit in trade of transportation-related goods in recent years because of growth in the import of automobiles, particularly from Japan. The transportation-related goods deficit was more than $75 billion in 2001, with a $100 billion deficit in automotive vehicles and parts offsetting a $24 billion surplus in aircraft, spacecraft and parts trade and smaller surpluses in other transportation sectors.
• The United States, the world leader in trade of transportation services, had its annual surplus in this trade transformed into a deficit in 1998 and the following three years as U.S. imports carried by foreign carriers increased and U.S exports growth slowed due to the robust growth in the U.S. economy and the strength of the dollar during this period.
• The ratio of the value of United States imports and exports to Gross Domestic Product increased to 22 percent in 2001, up from 13 percent 11 years earlier. This trend highlights the substantially increasing role of international trade in the U.S. economy.

This multimodal report presents a comprehensive analysis of trends and issues affecting U.S. international trade and freight transportation. It examines recent trends in U.S. trade patterns with key trade partners, reviews changes in modal shares, commodity mix, and transportation services. The report also discusses the emerging transportation security challenges resulting from increased international trade flows.

This report is a third in a series of international trend reports. BTS released North American Trade and Travel Trends in 2001 and U.S. International Travel and Transportation Trends in 2002.

To order a free copy of U.S. International Trade and Freight Transportation Trends, contact BTS by phone at 202-366-DATA (press 1), by fax at 202-366-3197, by e-mail at answers@bts.gov or by mail sent to Product Orders, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, USDOT, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Room 7412, Washington, DC 20590. Additionally, the report may be ordered at http://www.bts.gov/btsprod.