Goods valued at more than $790 billion crossed the U.S. border in trade with Canada and Mexico in 2005, reaching a new high (11 percent higher than the record set in 2004) according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, released the data yesterday as part of the second annual update of the North American Transportation Statistics (NATS) online database. The NATS database is co-sponsored by BTS and the U.S. Census Bureau with the federal-level transportation and statistical agencies of Canada and Mexico.

Freight weighing nearly 679 million tons was transported through U.S. land borders, airports, and seaports to and from locations in Canada and Mexico in 2005. U.S. merchandise trade with Canada and Mexico, its two largest trading partners, rose by more than $137 billion or by one-fifth between 2000 and 2005.

The value of freight shipments moving between the United States, Canada, and Mexico grew at an average rate of nearly 4 percent per year between 2000 and 2005. The total value of U.S. freight shipments with Mexico grew 18 percent (or 3.3 percent annually) while goods shipped in trade with Canada grew 23 percent or (4.2 percent annually).

Trucks carried over 62 percent of this freight measured by value ($491 billion in 2005),rail carried 15 percent maritime and pipeline carried 7 percent each,and air carried 4 percent.

Trucks saw the largest increase in shipment value from 2004 to 2005 ($38 billion), followed by pipeline (up $14 billion), and maritime (up $12 billion).

In addition to the release of updated statistics, the NATS online database showcases a newly redesigned interface. This new image was agreed to at the 20th trilateral meeting of the North American Transportation Statistics Interchange, held in Washington, DC, in June 2006. The redesign provides users with improved access to North American transportation statistics.