Shipments by truck up in volume and value

The volume of cargo moved by truck across the Mexico-United States border continues to rise, and its value is rising even faster.

The number of trucks that crossed the border in the first quarter of the year was up 2.9%, to a total of 1.37 million vehicles, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

But the value of the goods they carried between the two countries was up 9%, reaching US $68 billion.

The figures reflect a large increase in value from those of all of last year, when the number of trucks — 5.4 million — was up 4.2% and the value of the freight was up 9.1% to $266.8 billion.

“There is more complex manufacturing taking place and more goods coming from Mexico than what we’ve seen in previous years,” said Troy Ryley, managing director of logistics company Transplace de Mexico.

U.S. manufacturers are relying more and more on parts and components produced in or sourced through Mexico, and more of the cargo is higher-end, higher-cost merchandise in the automotive, electronics and aerospace sectors, Ryley said.

Source: joc.com (en)

Our Most Important Trade Partners?

Thomas L Friedman writes

I wonder how many Americans know that we sell twice as many exports to Mexico as to China, and we export more than twice as much to Mexico and Canada as to the European Union and three times as much as we do to East Asia. I wonder how many Americans know that out of every $1 of Mexican exports to the U.S., 40 cents comes from materials and parts made in the U.S. By comparison, out of every $1 of Chinese exports to the world, just 4 cents comes from products made in the U.S., according the National Bureau of Economic Research. And, with the discovery of natural gas in America leading to more manufacturing returning to this country, and the prospect of pending energy reform in Mexico, there is an opportunity to create the lowest-cost, clean-energy manufacturing platform in the world, with mutually beneficial supply chains crisscrossing the continent

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