Intra-NAFTA trade and surface traffic: a very disaggregated view

gated trade volumes may indicate total transporta-tion needs, trade traffic disaggregated by state,industry, and transport mode could assist plannersin determining the future road and rail needs intheir specific region.Using a rich dataset on post-NAFTA trade trafficfrom the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS),we describe intra-NAFTA trade traffic by transporta-tion mode (truck or rail) since NAFTA’s imple-mentation for each 2-digit standard industrialclassification (SIC) industry in five Mid-Southstates (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee,and Texas). Examining the data at this level of dis-aggregation yields insights into how NAFTA hasaffected trade and transportation patterns. Weuncover many striking dif ferences in the NAFT A-region trade traffic among states, industries, andtransportation modes. Analysis at the detailed levelcan account for these dif ferences and thus should