North American Transborder Freight Shows Estimated 2.5% Decrease in August 2025 from August 2024
BTS 66-25
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.
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics TransBorder Freight Data.
The statistics in this release do not reflect changes in inflation or tonnage moved.
This report estimates the North American Transborder Freight data for August 2025 based on historical data. The release contains estimates derived by calculating the simple arithmetic mean (average) of the corresponding months.
Estimated Total Transborder Freight in August 2025, Compared to August 2024
Estimated transborder freight between the U.S. and North American countries Canada and Mexico:
- Total estimated transborder freight: $133.4 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, a decrease of 2.5% compared to August 2024
- Estimated freight between the U.S. and Canada: $62.5 billion, down 0.7% from August 2024
- Estimated freight between the U.S. and Mexico: $70.9 billion, down 3.9% from August 2024
- Trucks moved an estimated $86.4 billion of freight, down 4.7% compared to August 2024
- Railways moved an estimated $16.4 billion of freight, down 3.1% compared to August 2024
- Pipelines moved an estimated $9.0 billion of freight, down 0.9% compared to August 2024
- Vessels moved an estimated $9.4 billion of freight, down 4.0% compared to August 2024
- Air moved an estimated $4.9 billion of freight, up 4.9% compared to August 2024
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics TransBorder Freight Data.
Total Estimated Transborder Freight by Border and Mode:
| U.S.-Canada (both directions) (Dollars in Billions) |
U.S.-Mexico (both directions) (Dollars in Billions) |
||
| Truck | $34.7 | Truck | $51.7 |
| Pipeline | $8.4 | Rail | $8.1 |
| Rail | $8.3 | Vessel | $6.4 |
| Vessel | $3.1 | Air | $2.0 |
| Air | $2.9 | 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. 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 and Mexico Estimated Freight Breakdown
|
U.S.-Canada Trade Breakdown |
U.S.-Mexico Trade Breakdown |
||
|
Top three truck ports |
Top three truck ports |
||
| Detroit, MI | $7.7 billion | Laredo, TX | $24.2 billion |
| Port Huron, MI | $7.2 billion | El Paso-Ysleta, TX | $8.8 billion |
| Buffalo, NY | $6.0 billion | Otay Mesa, CA | $4.8 billion |
|
Top three truck commodities |
Top three truck commodities |
||
| Computers/parts | $5.5 billion | Computers/parts | $14.6 billion |
| Vehicles/parts | $4.4 billion | Electrical machinery | $11.1 billion |
| Precious metals | $2.4 billion | Vehicles/parts | $6.7 billion |
|
Top three rail ports |
Top three rail ports |
||
| Detroit, MI | $2.3 billion | Laredo, TX | $3.7 billion |
| Port Huron, MI | $1.6 billion | Eagle Pass, TX | $2.6 billion |
| Int’l Falls, MN | $0.9 billion | Nogales, AZ | $0.7 billion |
|
Top three rail commodities |
Top three rail commodities |
||
| Vehicles/parts | $2.9 billion | Vehicles/parts | $3.9 billion |
| Mineral fuel | $0.6 billion | Mineral fuel | $0.6 billion |
| Plastics | $0.5 billion | Computer machinery | $0.6 billion |
Reporting Notes
The figures in this report are estimates. The primary data source for actual values are not available due to the lapse of appropriations. All monetary values are in current U.S. 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 Friday, November 14, 2025.