The US Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has released data showing a modest increase in North American trans-border freight in October 2024.
Total freight between the United States and its neighbours, Canada and Mexico, reached $138.9 billion, marking a 0.3% increase compared to October 2023.
The uptick was primarily driven by an increase in freight movements between the US and Mexico, which rose by 2.5% to $74.6 billion. However, freight between the US and Canada declined by 2.2%, totalling $64.3 billion.
Trucks remained the dominant mode of transportation for trans-border freight, moving $88.4 billion worth of goods, a slight increase of 0.1% from the previous year. Rail freight, however, saw a significant decline of 12.0%, totalling $16.0 billion. Other modes, such as vessels and pipelines, also experienced reductions in freight volume, with declines of 13.6% and 20.7%, respectively.
Notably, Mexico continued to surpass Canada in the total dollar value of trans-border freight for the 20th consecutive month. The top truck ports for US-Canada freight were Detroit, Port Huron, and Buffalo, while Laredo, El Paso, and Otay Mesa led the US-Mexico truck ports.
In terms of commodities, the leading freight items for trucks between the US and Canada included computers and parts, vehicles and parts, and electrical machinery. For US-Mexico trade, computers and parts, electrical machinery, and vehicles and parts topped the list.
Rail freight between the US and Canada was led by vehicles and parts, followed by mineral fuels and plastics. On the US-Mexico rail routes, vehicles and parts led the way, with beverages, spirits, and computers also contributing significantly to freight volumes.
The breakdown of freight by mode revealed that pipelines moved $8.0 billion worth of goods, mainly energy products, but experienced a notable decrease in mineral fuel shipments. Air freight, although less significant in dollar value at $4.7 billion, also saw a decline of 3.3%.
Air moved $4.7 billion of freight, down 3.3% compared to October 2023.
