Data Reveals Uptick in Transborder Freight

Trucks moved $62.6 billion of freight, down 7.1% compared to March 2019.

Stock Trucking
Getty Images

Transborder freight value in March was up 2.9% from February, reaching the highest monthly value since November 2019, according to data released by the Department of Transportation (DOT).

  • Total Transborder freight: $98.8 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, down 7.9% compared to March 2019.
  • Most-used mode: Trucks moved $62.6 billion of freight, down 7.1% compared to March 2019.
  • Second most-used mode: Railways moved $15.0 billion of freight, down 7.7% compared to March 2019.

Truck Freight: $62.6 billion (63.4% of all transborder freight)

  • By border:

U.S.-Canada: $27.9 billion (57.3% of all northern border freight)

U.S.-Mexico: $34.7 billion (69.2% of all southern border freight)

  • Compared to March 2019:

U.S.-Canada down 9.8%

U.S.-Mexico down 4.7%

 

Top 3 Busiest truck border ports (44.4% of total transborder truck freight)

o   Laredo, TX                           $14.8 billion

o    Detroit, MI                             $8.2 billion

o    Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY         $4.7 billion

 

Note: Beginning March 1, 2020, the Port of Entry at Ysleta, Texas, has been split off from the El Paso Port of Entry. Had the split not occurred, El Paso, Texas, would have been the third busiest truck port at $5.3 billion.

Top 3 truck commodities (47.6% of total transborder truck freight)

o    Computers and parts               $12.3  billion

o    Electrical machinery                  $9.5  billion

o    Motor vehicles and parts           $8.0  billion

Rail Freight: $15.0 billion (15.2% of all transborder freight)

  • By border:

U.S.-Canada: $7.9 billion (16.3% of all northern border freight)

U.S.-Mexico: $7.0 billion (14.0% of all southern border freight)

  • Compared to March 2019:

U.S.-Canada down 8.5%

U.S.-Mexico down 6.9%.

 Three busiest rail border ports (52.8% of total transborder rail freight)

o    Laredo, TX                       $3.5 billion

o    Detroit, MI                       $2.3 billion

o    Eagle Pass, TX                  $2.0 billion

Top 3 rail commodities (62.6% of total transborder rail freight)

o    Motor vehicles and parts     $7.5 billion

o    Mineral fuels                      $1.1 billion

o    Plastics                             $0.8 billion


Total Transborder Freight by Mode:

 U.S.-Canada (both directions)

(Dollars in Billions)

Truck:                $27.9

Rail:                    $7.9

Pipeline:              $4.6

Air:                     $3.1

Vessel:                $1.7

U.S.-Mexico (both directions)

(Dollars in Billions)

Truck:                $34.7

Rail:                    $7.0

Vessel:                $5.2

Air:                     $1.4

Pipeline:              $0.4 

Latest