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

March 2020 North American Transborder Freight Numbers

Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2020
 

Transborder freight between the U.S. and other North American countries (Canada and Mexico) in March 2020:

  • Total Transborder freight: $98.8 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, down 7.9% compared to March 2019.
  • Most-used mode: Trucks moved $62.6 billion of freight, down 7.1% compared to March 2019.
  • Second most-used mode: Railways moved $15.0 billion of freight, down 7.7% compared to March 2019.

Transborder freight value in March was up 2.9% from February, reaching the highest monthly value since November 2019.

 

Truck Freight: $62.6 billion (63.4% of all transborder freight)

  • By border:
U.S.-Canada: $27.9 billion (57.3% of all northern border freight)
U.S.-Mexico: $34.7 billion (69.2% of all southern border freight)
  • Compared to March 2019:
U.S.-Canada down 9.8%
U.S.-Mexico down 4.7%
  • Top Three Busiest truck border ports (44.4% of total transborder truck freight)
    • Laredo, TX                                 $14.8 billion
    • Detroit, MI                                    $8.2 billion
    • Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY[1]          $4.7 billion

Note: Beginning March 1, 2020, the Port of Entry at Ysleta, Texas has been split off from the El Paso Port of Entry.  Had the split not occurred, El Paso, TX would have been the third busiest truck port at $5.3 billion.

  • Top three truck commodities (47.6% of total transborder truck freight)
    • Computers and parts                  $12.3  billion
    • Electrical machinery                   $9.5  billion
    • Motor vehicles and parts              $8.0  billion

Rail Freight: $15.0 billion (15.2% of all transborder freight)

  • By border:
U.S.-Canada: $7.9 billion (16.3% of all northern border freight)
U.S.-Mexico: $7.0 billion (14.0% of all southern border freight)
  • Compared to March 2019:
U.S.-Canada down 8.5%
U.S.-Mexico down 6.9%.

 

  • Three busiest rail border ports (52.8% of total transborder rail freight)
    • Laredo, TX                            $3.5 billion
    • Detroit, MI                             $2.3 billion
    • Eagle Pass, TX                        $2.0 billion

 

  • Top three rail commodities (62.6% of total transborder rail freight)
    • Motor vehicles and parts        $7.5 billion
    • Mineral fuels                           $1.1 billion
    • Plastics                                    $0.8 billion

 

 

Total Transborder Freight by Mode:

 

U.S.-Canada (both directions)
(Dollars in Billions)
Truck:              $27.9
Rail:                   $7.9
Pipeline:             $4.6
Air:                     $3.1
Vessel:               $1.7

 

 

 

U.S.-Mexico (both directions)
(Dollars in Billions)
Truck:              $34.7
Rail:                   $7.0
Vessel:               $5.2
Air:                     $1.4
Pipeline:             $0.4

 

 

 

 

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 April TransBorder numbers for June 24.