WASHINGTON — Both northern and southern ports of the U.S. are seeing a marked increase in truck traffic over the last 12 months according to statistics provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
From April 2023 until April ’24, North American Transborder freight is up 9% overall with approximately $138 billion worth of freight crossing the Canadian and Mexican borders. More than $90.5 billion of that is via truck.
Of the total number of freight dollars moved, $65.5 billion went to Canada while $72.2 billion crossed into Mexico.
Truck freight’s impact is up 11.5 percent from the previous year according to the DOT.
Rail is a very distant second in total freight dollars at $18.2 billion.
In freight going both directions across both borders, $37.4 billion crossed Canada while $53.1 billion were going in and out of Mexico.
According to the DOT media release, 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.
The top commodities being hauled across borders aren’t much different.
The top freight going to Canada includes computers and parts ($6.1 billion), vehicles and parts ($5.6 billion) and electrical machinery $2.6 billion.)
The same commodities are the most popular in Mexico, but not in the same volume.
Electrical machinery is tops in Mexico ($11.9 billion), while computers and parts are a close second ($11.5 billion). Vehicle and parts are third ($7.4 billion).
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
