NAFTA

Political bluster aside, logistics professionals on all sides of the border agree that careful planning, attention to detail and good partnerships are all key to continued, efficient cross-border transit—no matter who’s in the White House.

In a wide-ranging opening keynote at last week’s National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council (NASSTRAC) annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., American Trucking Associations (ATA) President and CEO Chris Spear laid out a compelling case for what is working in trucking, what needs to be worked on, and what needs to happen in order to overcome a heightened state of acrimony in Washington, D.C.

BTS said all five major transportation modes– truck, rail, pipeline, vessel and air –moved more U.S. freight with Canada and Mexico by value in 2017 compared to 2016. And it added that total value of cross-border freight carried on all modes rose 6.6 percent from 2016 to $1.2 trillion in current dollars.

Speculation that President Trump is using his threatened steel tariffs as a ploy to renegotiate NAFTA may not play well with shippers associations.

United States trade with its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners, Canada and Mexico, saw annual growth in December, the most recent month for which data is available, marking the 14th consecutive month of gains. Total value came in at $93.5 million, with all five modes of freight transportation moving more freight by value, and marked a 7.4% annual increase.

Five things to consider when managing cross-border logistics between the United States and Mexico.

The United States Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported this week that United States trade with its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners, Canada and Mexico, was up annually in November, the most recent month for which data is available. With a 10.5% annual gain, November represents the 13th consecutive month of increases.

A trio of rail shipper groups, each with a vested interest in the long-term future in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) penned a joint letter to the United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, and Mexico’s Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo to express their support for NAFTA, as well as call for a constructive effort to renegotiate a new agreement building on the existing framework and progress, the United States,...

The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported this week that United States trade with its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners, Canada and Mexico saw an annual gain in October, the most recent month for which data is available. Rising 7.9% to $100.6 billion, October marks the 12th consecutive month of increases.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is strongly lobbying to tweak – not trash – the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA.) And it’s not just transport companies who are leading the charge within the Chamber, U.S. Business Roundtable and other Washington lobbyist heavyweights.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is strongly lobbying to tweak – not trash – the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA.) And it’s not just transport companies who are leading the charge within the Chamber, U.S. Business Roundtable and other Washington lobbyist heavyweights. But since the talks opened in August, the Trump administration – to the chagrin of many trucking executives – has been playing hardball in its “America First” approach to the negotiations.

Nearly a year into President Trump's term, NAFTA remains intact, but it also comes with various uncertainties as the United States and its NAFTA trade partners, Mexico and Canada, continue negotiations with the future of the trade pact at stake, to be sure.

The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported this week that United States trade with its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners, Canada and Mexico saw headed up September, the most recent month for which data is available. Rising 3.6% to $94.4 billion, September stands as the 11th consecutive month of increases.

A mid-February 2017 report by Business Insider detailed the proposed border adjustment tax, currently under consideration in the U.S. Congress, which would impose a 20 percent tax on all goods entering the United States.

With a 4.6% annual gain to $97.4 million in August, this marks the 10th consecutive month of increases, with all five major transportation modes carrying more freight by value.