USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

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 6.4% in April 2023 from April 2022

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

BTS 30-23

 

April 2023 Transborder Infographic

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

 

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

  • Total transborder freight: $126.6 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, down 6.4% compared to April 2022
  • Freight between the U.S. and Canada totaled $63.8 billion, down 7.7% from April 2022
  • Freight between the U.S. and Mexico totaled $62.8 billion, down 5.1% from April 2022
  • Trucks moved $81.2 billion of freight, up 2.0% compared to April 2022
  • Railways moved $17.7 billion of freight, down 8.4% compared to April 2022
  • Vessels moved $9.3 billion of freight, down 29.8% compared to April 2022
  • Pipelines moved $8.3 billion of freight, down 34.5% compared to April 2022
  • Air moved $4.8 billion of freight, down 4.1% compared to April 2022

 

Bar chart showing north American freight by mode for April 2022 and 2023

Total Transborder Freight by Border and Mode:

U.S.-Canada (both directions)
(Dollars in Billions)
Truck:          $36.5 
Rail:               $9.7 
Pipeline:       $7.8 
Air:                $3.1
Vessel:          $2.9 
 		 U.S.-Mexico (both directions)
(Dollars in Billions)
Truck:          $44.7 
Rail:              $8.0 
Vessel:          $6.3 
Air:                $1.7 
Pipeline:       $0.4     
 

 

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

Top three truck ports
   Detroit, MI                $9.7 billion 
   Port Huron, MI         $6.4 billion
   Buffalo, NY              $6.1 billion

Top three truck commodities
   Computers/parts          $6.1 billion 
   Vehicles/parts              $5.3 billion
   Electrical machinery    $2.3 billion 

Top three rail ports
   Port Huron, MI      $2.6 billion
   Detroit, MI            $2.2 billion
   Int’l Falls, MN       $1.3 billion

Top three rail commodities
   Vehicles/part           $3.6 billion 
   Mineral fuel            $0.7 billion
   Plastics                    $0.6 billion 
 

U.S.-Mexico Trade Breakdown

Top three truck ports
   Laredo, TX                   $20.1 billion 
   El Paso-Ysleta, TX         $6.0 billion
   Otay Mesa, CA               $4.9 billion

Top three truck commodities
   Electrical machinery     $11.3 billion
   Computers/parts            $10.0 billion
   Vehicles/parts             $7.3 billion

Top three rail ports
   Laredo, TX                    $4.3 billion 
   Eagle Pass, TX              $2.3 billion
   El Paso, TX                   $0.6 billion

Top three rail commodities
   Vehicles/parts               $4.2 billion
   Computers/part             $0.7 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 July 26, 2023.