USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

December 2018 North American Transborder Freight Numbers

Monday, March 11, 2019
Date: Monday, March 11, 2019

Transborder freight between the U.S. and other North American countries (Canada and Mexico) in December 2018:

  • Most-used mode: Truck moved $57.4 billion of freight, up 1.0 percent compared to December 2017
  • Second mode: Rail moved $14.2 billion of freight, up 4.1 percent compared to December 2017

Truck Freight: $57.4 billion (61.9 percent of all transborder freight)

  • By border:
U.S.-Canada: $25.8 billion (56.0 percent of all northern border freight)
U.S.-Mexico: $31.6 billion (67.8 percent of all southern border freight)
  • Compared to previous year:
U.S.-Canada down 3.9 percent
U.S.-Mexico up 5.5 percent
  • Busiest three truck border ports (44.9 percent of total transborder truck freight):
    • Laredo, TX:      $13.5 billion
    • Detroit, MI:         $7.1 billion
    • El Paso, TX:        $4.5 billion
  • Top three truck commodities (51.7 percent of total transborder truck freight):
    • Computers and parts:              $12.1  billion
    • Motor vehicles and parts:         $8.8  billion
    • Electrical machinery:                $8.8  billion

Rail Freight: $14.2 billion (15.3 percent of all transborder freight)

  • By border:
U.S.-Canada: $7.9 billion (17.0 percent of all northern border freight)
U.S.-Mexico: $6.3 billion (13.5 percent of all southern border freight)
  • Compared to previous year:
U.S.-Canada up 5.3 percent
U.S.-Mexico up 2.6 percent
  • Busiest three rail border ports (50.2 percent of total transborder rail freight):
    • Laredo, TX:                $3.3 billion
    • Port Huron, MI:          $2.2 billion
    • Detroit, MI:                 $1.6 billion
  • Top three rail commodities (61.7 percent of total transborder rail freight):
    • Motor vehicles and parts:       $6.6 billion
    • Mineral fuels:                         $1.2 billion
    • Plastics:                                   $0.8 billion

Total Transborder Freight: $92.7 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, down 0.9 percent from December 2017.

Freight by Mode:

U.S.-Canada (both directions)
(Dollars in Billions)
Truck:             $25.8
Rail:                  $7.9
Pipeline:            $4.1              
Air:                    $2.4
Vessel:              $2.2

           

Almost all (99.1 percent) of pipeline freight between the U.S. and Canada were mineral fuels, primarily oil and gas. Most of these freight flows were on pipelines linking Canada and the American Midwest.

 

U.S.-Mexico (both directions)
(Dollars in Billions)
Truck:             $31.6
Rail:                  $6.3
Vessel:              $5.4  
Air:                    $1.4
Pipeline:            $0.5  

                       

Of freight by vessel between the U.S. and Mexico, $2.7 billion, or 50.3 percent were mineral fuels, primarily oil and gas shipments between Gulf of Mexico ports in the U.S. and Mexico – with over half of those shipments going through Texas ports. 

 

Reporting Notes

Data in this Bureau of Transportation Statistics release are not seasonally adjusted and are not adjusted for inflation. For previous statistical releases and summary tables, see TransBorder Releases. See TransBorder Freight Data for data from previous months, and for additional state, port, and commodity data. BTS has scheduled the release of January TransBorder numbers for April 9.