The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has released its September 2019 North American Transborder Freight Numbers, and the data indicates the trucking industry hauled over 432% more freight than its nearest modal competitor, railways. The data includes shipping between the U.S. and Canada and the U.S and Mexico.
For 2019, September data indicated $101.8 billion in total freight moved by all modes of transportation, down 0.2% from a year ago. Trucks moved $64.0 billion of this freight, an increase of 1.1% over September 2018. Meanwhile, railways moved freight valued at $14.8 billion, a decrease of 1.9%. The remaining modes of moving freight—vessel, pipeline, air and miscellaneous—combined to move cargo valued at $37.4 billion. In total the value of freight transported across borders was down 0.2% compared to September 2018.
The value of freight moved by truck between the U.S. and Canada was $28.9 billion, a total representing 56.3% of all northern border freight and an increase of 1.1% over September 2018. At the southern border, trucks accounted for movement of $35.1 billion of freight, an increase of 1.2% over the previous year. Trucks moved 69.9% of all freight between the U.S. and Mexico.
The busiest truck border ports were Laredo, Texas; Detroit, Michigan; and El Paso, Texas. In terms of commodities, computers and related parts, electrical machinery, and motor vehicles and parts represented over half of total transborder truck freight.
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.
