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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

North American Transborder Freight up 10.6% in January 2023 from January 2022

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

BTS 15-23

 

January 2023 Transborder Infographic

The statistics in this release may not reflect changes in tonnage moved.

 

Total Transborder Freight by Border in January 2023, Compared to January 2022:
Transborder freight between the U.S. and North American countries Canada and Mexico:

  • Total transborder freight: $125.8 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, up 10.6% compared to January 2022
  • Freight between the U.S. and Canada totaled $61.8 billion, up 8.9% from January 2022
  • Freight between the U.S. and Mexico totaled $63.9 billion, up 12.3% from January 2022
  • Trucks moved $77.7 billion of freight, up 12.7% compared to January 2022
  • Railways moved $16.8 billion of freight, up 8.1% compared to January 2022
  • Pipelines moved $10.5 billion of freight, down 8.4% compared to January 2022
  • Vessels moved $10.4 billion of freight, up 16.9% compared to January 2022
  • Air moved $4.8 billion of freight, up 13.6% compared to January 2022

 

January 2023 Transborder Bar chart

 

 Total Transborder Freight by Border and Mode:

U.S.-Canada (both directions)
(Dollars in Billions)
Truck:          $33.0 
Rail:              $9.3 
Pipeline:      $9.6     
Vessel:         $3.0     
Air:               $3.0               
 
U.S.-Mexico (both directions)
(Dollars in Billions)
Truck:          $44.7 
Rail:              $7.5 
Vessel:         $7.4     
Air:                $1.8 
Pipeline:      $0.9  
 

 

Detroit, Port Huron, and Buffalo are the top truck ports for U.S. freight flows with Canada, while Laredo, El Paso, and Otay Mesa are the top truck ports with Mexico. Detroit, Port Huron, and International Falls are the top rail connection ports for U.S. freight flows with Canada, while Laredo, Eagle Pass, and El Paso are the top rail connection ports with Mexico. Chicago, Port Huron, and Minneapolis are the top pipeline connection regions for U.S. energy freight flows with Canada. El Paso, Hidalgo, and Laredo are the top pipeline connection regions with Mexico. Port of Boston, Arthur, and Portland are the top water port connections for U.S. energy flows with Canada. Port of Houston, Arthur, and Texas City are the top water port connections for U.S. energy flows on the Southern border. Canada and Mexico are the largest suppliers of crude oil to the U.S., while those countries are top buyers of refined petroleum products from the United States.

U.S.-Canada Trade Breakdown

Top three truck ports
Detroit, MI               $10.2 billion 
Buffalo, NY               $5.4 billion
Port Huron, MI          $5.3 billion

Top three truck commodities
     Computers/parts          $5.6 billion 
     Vehicles/parts               $4.8 billion
     Electrical machinery    $2.3 billion 

Top three rail ports
    Detroit, MI                    $2.5 billion
    Port Huron, MI            $2.1 billion
    Int’l Falls, MN              $1.2 billion

Top three rail commodities
    Vehicles/part              $3.3 billion 
    Mineral fuel                $0.8 billion
    Fertilizers                    $0.6 billion 
 

U.S.-Mexico Trade Breakdown

Top three truck ports
Laredo, TX                   $20.1 billion 
El Paso-Ysleta, TX         $6.7 billion
Otay Mesa, CA               $4.6 billion

Top three truck commodities
     Electrical machinery     $10.0 billion
     Computers/parts           $9.0 billion
     Vehicles/parts                $6.3 billion

Top three rail ports
     Laredo, TX                    $3.8 billion 
     Eagle Pass, TX              $2.1 billion
     El Paso, TX                   $0.8 billion

Top three rail commodities
    Vehicles/parts               $3.6 billion
    Computers/part           $0.6 billion
    Cereals                          $0.4 billion
 

 

Reporting Notes

All monetary values are in current US dollars and are not adjusted for inflation or seasonality. For previous statistical releases and summary tables, see transborder releases. See transborder freight data for data from previous months, and additional state, port, and commodity data. BTS has scheduled the next release of transborder numbers for April 26, 2023.