North American Transborder Freight down 1.6% in September 2023 from September 2022

Friday, November 17, 2023

BTS 54-23

September 2023 Transborder Infographic

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

Total transborder freight: $131.8 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, down 1.6% compared to September 2022
Freight between the U.S. and Canada totaled $64.7 billion, down 2.7% from September 2022
Freight between the U.S. and Mexico totaled $67.1 billion, down 0.5% from September 2022
Trucks moved $82.1 billion of freight, up 0.3% compared to September 2022
Railways moved $18.0 billion of freight, up 6.7% compared to September 2022
Vessels moved $11.7 billion of freight, up 6.4% compared to September 2022
Pipelines moved $9.2 billion of freight, down 29.0% compared to September 2022
Air moved $4.9 billion of freight, down 0.2% compared to September 2022
Multiple modes declined due to decreases in value of oil and energy commodities

Bar chart showing north american freight by mode in September 2020 and 2023

U.S.-Canada (both directions) (Dollars in Billions)		U.S.-Mexico (both directions) (Dollars in Billions)
Truck:	$36.6	Truck:	$45.5
Rail:	$10.0	Vessel:	$9.2
Pipeline:	$8.6	Rail:	$8.0
Air	$3.0	Air:	$1.9
Vessel:	$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. 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 $11.5 billion
Buffalo, NY $6.3 billion
Port Huron, MI $5.4 billion

Top three truck commodities
Computers/parts $6.1 billion
Vehicles/parts $5.7 billion
Electrical machinery $2.5 billion

Top three rail ports
Port Huron, MI $2.5 billion
Detroit, MI $2.5 billion
Int'l Falls, MN $1.1 billion

Top three rail commodities
Vehicles/part $4.4 billion
Mineral fuel $0.8 billion
Wood products $0.5 billion

U.S.-Mexico Trade Breakdown

Top three truck ports
Laredo, TX $21.7 billion
Otay Mesa, CA $5.3 billion
El Paso-Ysleta, TX $4.5 billion

Top three truck commodities
Electrical machinery $11.5 billion
Computers/parts $9.9 billion
Vehicles/parts $7.5 billion

Top three rail ports
Laredo, TX $4.5 billion
Eagle Pass, TX $2.2 billion
Nogales, AZ $0.7 billion

Top three rail commodities
Vehicles/parts $4.1 billion
Computers/part $0.7 billion
Mineral fuels $0.5 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 December TBD, 2023.