WASHINGTON — Total freight transported between the United States, Mexico and Canada totaled $104.5 billion in April, according to the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
The figure represents an increase of 1.8% compared to April 2018, but a 2.5% decrease from March 2019 when $107.2 billion was moved among the countries.
The most used mode of transportation was trucking, which moved $65.1 billion of freight, down 1% compared to April 2018 and down 3.4% from the $67.4 billion moved in March 2019.
The second most used mode was rail, which moved $15.6 billion of freight, up 6.3% compared to April 2018, but down .04% from March 2019’s $16.2 billion of rail freight..
Trucks moved 62.3% of all transborder freight, broken down as follows:
- U.S.-Canada: $28.8 billion (55.5% of all northern border freight)
- U.S.-Mexico: $36.3 billion (68.9% of all southern border freight)
Trucks moved $67.4 billion in March 2019.
Compared to April 2018, U.S.-Canada freight was down 3.3%, U.S.-Mexico freight was up 1%.
The three busiest truck border ports (43.3% of total transborder truck freight) included Laredo, Texas ($15.3 billion), Detroit ($8.6 billion) and El Paso, Texas ($5.3 billion).
The top three truck commodities (48.9% of total transborder truck freight) included:
- Computers and parts, $13.6 billion
- Motor vehicles and parts, $9.9 billion
- Electrical machinery, $9.5 billion
Those three categories also were the top three categories in March 2019.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
