NAFTA surface trade drops 33% in April

NAFTA surface trade drops 33% in April    Trade moving by surface transportation between the United States and neighbors Canada and Mexico plunged 33 percent in April to $49.7 billion compared to the same month a year ago, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
   It is the fourth consecutive month with a yearly decline of 27 percent or more, reflecting how hard the global recession has hit the economies of all three trading partners.
   The overwhelming majority of trade between the countries moves by truck, rail and pipeline.
   Trade levels are down 6.5 percent compared to five years ago, but are still 22 percent more versus April 1999.
   The U.S.-Canada surface trade component was $30.2 billion, representing a 38.2 percent annual decline. Surface trade with Mexico was $19.5 billion, down $23.4 billion.