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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 3.5% in October 2023 from October 2022

Thursday, January 4, 2024

BTS 01-24

 

October 2023 Transborder Infographic

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

 

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

  • Total transborder freight: $138.5 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, up 3.5% compared to October 2022
  • Freight between the U.S. and Canada totaled $65.7 billion, up 0.5% from October 2022
  • Freight between the U.S. and Mexico totaled $ 72.8 billion, up 6.4% from October 2022
  • Trucks moved $88.3 billion of freight, up 5.9% compared to October 2022
  • Railways moved $18.2 billion of freight, up 6.2% compared to October 2022
  • Vessels moved $11.1 billion of freight, up 3.1% compared to October 2022
  • Pipelines moved $10.0 billion of freight, down 12.0% compared to October 2022
  • Air moved $4.9 billion of freight, down 3.7% compared to October 2022
  • Multiple modes declined due to decreases in value of oil and energy commodities

 

Bar chart showing North American freight by mode in October 2022 and 2023 

 

Total Transborder Freight by Border and Mode:

U.S.-Canada (both directions)
(Dollars in Billions)
U.S.-Mexico (both directions)
(Dollars in Billions)
Truck: $37.1  Truck: $51.2 
Rail: $9.8  Rail: $8.4
Pipeline: $9.3      Vessel: $8.6
Air: $3.1     Air: $1.8
Vessel: $2.5      Pipeline: $0.7

 

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.

 

U.S.-Canada Trade Breakdown U.S.-Mexico Trade Breakdown
Top three truck ports Top three truck ports
Detroit, MI $11.1 billion Laredo, TX $23.6 billion 
Buffalo, NY $6.5 billion Otay Mesa, CA $5.5 billion
Port Huron, MI $5.8 billion El Paso-Ysleta, TX $5.4 billion
Top three truck commodities Top three truck commodities
Computers/parts $5.9 billion Electrical machinery $11.9 billion
Vehicles/parts $5.5 billion Computers/parts $10.6 billion
Electrical machinery $2.5 billion Vehicles/parts $7.8 billion
Top three rail ports Top three rail ports
Detroit, MI $2.8 billion Laredo, TX $4.3 billion
Port Huron, MI $2.3 billion Eagle Pass, TX $2.4 billion
Int’l Falls, MN $1.2 billion Nogales, AZ $0.7 billion
Top three rail commodities Top three rail commodities
Vehicles/part $4.3 billion Vehicles/parts $4.5 billion
Mineral fuel $0.8 billion Computers/part $0.6 billion
Plastics  $0.5 billion Beverages $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 January 25, 2024.