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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 down 1.3% in January 2024 from January 2023

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

BTS 15-24

 

January 2024 Transborder Infographic

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

 

Total Transborder Freight by Border in January 2024, Compared to January 2023:
Transborder freight between the U.S. and North American countries Canada and Mexico:

  • Total transborder freight: $124.2 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, down 1.3% compared to January 2023.
  • Freight between the U.S. and Canada: $59.7 billion, down 3.5% from January 2023.
  • Freight between the U.S. and Mexico: $64.5 billion, up 0.9% from January 2023.
  • Trucks moved $79.5 billion of freight, up 2.3% compared to January 2023.
  • Railways moved $15.6 billion of freight, down 6.9% compared to January 2023.
  • Vessels moved $10.0 billion of freight, down 4.1% compared to January 2023.
  • Pipelines moved $9.7 billion of freight, down 7.3% compared to January 2023.
  • Air moved $4.1 billion of freight, down 13.7% compared to January 2023.
     

 

Bar chart showing North American freight by mode in January 2023 and 2024

 

Total Transborder Freight by Border and Mode:

U.S.-Canada (both directions)
(Dollars in Billions)
U.S.-Mexico (both directions)
(Dollars in Billions)
Truck: $33.4 Truck: $46.1
Pipeline: $9.1 Rail: $7.4
Rail: $8.2 Vessel: $6.9
Vessel: $3.1 Air: $1.6
Air: $2.5 Pipeline: $0.6

 

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. Ports of Boston, Arthur, and Portland are the top water port connections for U.S. energy flows with Canada. Ports 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 $10.4 billion Laredo, TX $21.4 billion
Buffalo, NY $5.7 billion El Paso-Ysleta, TX $6.4 billion
Port Huron, MI $5.3 billion Otay Mesa, CA $4.1 billion

Top three truck commodities

Top three truck commodities

Computers/parts $5.7 billion Electrical machinery $10.3 billion
Vehicles/parts $4.9 billion Computers/parts $9.4 billion
Electrical machinery $2.3 billion Vehicles/parts $6.3 billion

Top three rail ports

Top three rail ports

Detroit, MI $2.2 billion Laredo, TX $3.8 billion
Port Huron, MI $1.9 billion Eagle Pass, TX $1.9 billion
Int’l Falls, MN $1.0 billion Nogales, AZ $0.7 billion

Top three rail commodities

Top three rail commodities

Vehicles/part $2.9 billion Vehicles/parts $3.7 billion
Mineral fuel $0.8 billion Computers/parts $0.5 billion
Plastics $0.5 billion Mineral Fuels $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 24, 2024.