TRUCKING STATISTICS * USA - January Truck Tonnage Hits 3-Year High

Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics -23 Feb 2011: -- Truck tonnage grew 8% in January from a year ago to its highest level in three years, American Trucking Associations said Wednesday... The upturn, which was the largest since April, left the index at a reading of 117.1, ATA said in its monthly seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage report. The index uses the year 2000 as its baseline reading of 100. It was the highest level since January 2008... January’s index gained 3.8% from December, and ATA revised December’s monthly increase to 2.5%, from a previously reported 2.2%... For all of 2010, tonnage increased 5.7% compared with the previous year. It had dropped 8.7% in 2009... ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said: "The report shows the economy is growing, and he expects a good first half of 2010 in tonnage..."

* USA - NAFTA Surface Trade Rises 13.8%

Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics -1 March 2011: -- Surface transportation trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico rose 13.8% in December from a year earlier, the Department of Transportation said Tuesday...  Trade among the North American Free Trade Agreement partners increased to $66.5 billion, DOT’s Bureau of Trade Statistics said in its monthly report...  U.S.-Canada trade rose 12.2% year-over-year to $39.8 billion. The value of truck imports to the U.S. rose 17.5%, while truck exports improved 10.4%...  U.S.-Mexico trade improved 16.3% to $26.8 billion. Truck imports were 16.3% higher than a year ago and exports rose 18.7%...   Surface transportation consists largely of freight movements by truck, rail and pipeline. Almost 90% of U.S. trade among NAFTA partners moves by land...