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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 decreased 5.5% in January 2026 from January 2025

Thursday, March 26, 2026

BTS 26-30

This release is published on a fixed schedule as required by the Office of Management and Budget, and statistics in this release may be revised when inputs to the statistics are corrected or updated. Data on the program page of this website are the most up-to-date and complete.

An infographic titled "North American Transborder Freight, January 2026," showing a total value of $126.9 billion. The graphic highlights two primary modes: Truck Freight: $84.6 billion, noting a 3.5% decrease from the same month last year. Rail Freight: $12.2 billion, noting a 19.6% decrease from the same month last year. Both sections include downward-pointing arrows to indicate the year-over-year decline.

 Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics TransBorder Freight Data.

The transborder freight data program provides comprehensive monthly and annual data on North American cross-border freight activity, detailing the value of U.S. imports and exports with Canada and Mexico by mode of transportation, commodity, and geography. These data inform critical infrastructure planning, trade corridor studies, and logistics research. This data release is for the month of January 2026 and also available online at the BTS Transborder Freight Data page.

Total Transborder Freight by Border in January 2026, Compared to January 2025:

Transborder freight between the U.S. and North American countries Canada and Mexico:

  • Total transborder freight: $126.9 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, decreasing 5.5% compared to January 2025
  • Freight between the U.S. and Canada: $52.8 billion, down 18.4% from January 2025
  • Freight between the U.S. and Mexico: $74.1 billion, up 6.5% from January 2025
  • Trucks moved $84.6 billion of freight, down 3.5% compared to January 2025
  • Railways moved $12.2 billion of freight, down 19.6% compared to January 2025
  • Pipelines moved $9.3 billion of freight, down 10.3% compared to January 2025
  • Air moved $7.9 billion of freight, up 28.1% compared to January 2025
  • Vessels moved $6.6 billion of freight, down 19.7% compared to January 2025
A horizontal bar chart titled "Figure 1: North American Freight by Mode, January 2025 and 2026." The chart compares freight value in billions of dollars across five transportation modes for two periods: January 2025 (dark blue) and January 2026 (light blue). Truck: Decreased from $87.6B in 2025 to $84.6B in 2026. Rail: Decreased from $15.2B in 2025 to $12.2B in 2026. Pipeline: Decreased from $10.4B in 2025 to $9.3B in 2026. Vessel: Decreased from $8.2B in 2025 to $6.6B in 2026. Air: Increased from $6.1B in 2025 to $7.9B in 2026.

 Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics TransBorder Freight Data.

 

Total Transborder Freight by Border and Mode
 

U.S.-Canada (both directions) USD
(Billions)		 U.S.-Mexico (both directions) USD
(Billions)
Truck $29.6 Truck $55.0
Pipeline $8.3 Rail $6.4
Rail $5.8 Air $5.5
Air $2.4 Vessel $4.3
Vessel $2.3 Pipeline $1.0

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.

 

Top 10 Ports and Commodities

Port USD Commodity USD
Laredo - Texas  27,338,250,535 Computer-Related Machinery and Parts 29,841,480,326
Ysleta - Texas 10,092,104,790 Mineral Fuels; Oils and Waxes 15,670,061,004
Port Huron - Michigan 8,717,707,842 Electrical Machinery; Equipment and Parts 15,271,921,031
Detroit - Michigan 8,636,910,249 Vehicles Other than Railway 14,362,183,019
Buffalo - Niagara Fall - New York 6,167,506,686 Plastics and Articles 4,389,896,858
Otay Mesa - California 4,522,315,514 Measuring and Testing Instruments 3,718,634,921
Santa Teresa - New Mexico 3,923,361,584 Pearls; Stones; Metals and Imitation Jewelry 2,776,428,483
Hidalgo - Texas 3,736,692,085 Aircraft; Spacecraft and Parts 1,788,247,981
El Paso - Texas 3,051,814,367 Articles of Iron and Steel 1,703,336,866
Eagle Pass - Texas 2,991,222,724 Furniture; Lamps and Prefabricated Buildings 1,683,522,930

Reporting Notes

All monetary values are in current U.S. dollars and not adjusted for inflation. For previous statistical releases and summary tables, see transborder releases. Visit the transborder freight program homepage for data from previous months, and additional state, port, and commodity data.

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