
Computer-related cross-border freight hauled by trucks at the Mexican border had another surge in imports in September, propping up overall North American freight.
According to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, truck freight valued at more than $88 billion was hauled across the borders in September. That was an increase of 8% compared to September 2023 but dropped 2% from the previous month.
September’s year-to-year increase continued sustained growth that began nearly four years ago. Trucking freight across North America had been trending upward since November 2020. Only four decreases had occurred between then and September, three of which happened within the previous 12 months.
Cross-border freight hauled by trucks across the U.S. southern border rose sharply, by 17% compared to September 2023, led by a huge surge in computer-related freight (67% year-to-year increase) that began in January. At the northern border, freight dropped by 3%.
The top three truck commodities at the northern border were computers/parts ($5.7 billion, down 6%), vehicles ($5 billion, down 11%) and electrical machinery ($2.6 billion, up 2%). At the Mexican border, top commodities included computers/parts ($14.4 billion, up 67%), electrical machinery ($11.9 billion, up 11%) and vehicles ($7.1 billion, up 0.1%).
September’s cross-border report shows a continuation of strong numbers coming in and out of the southern border.
In its recent holiday outlook report, fleet management technology company Motive noted that Mexico has become a “critical player in the global supply chain.” Imports coming through the Port of Laredo increased by 30% year-over-year. In August, imports through Laredo reached a four-year high as nearshoring in Mexico has increased.
Motive’s September economic report points out that new tariffs could lead to more growth of cross-border freight at the southern border.
President-elect Donald Trump has proposed a 60% tariff on Chinese imports and 10% on all other imports, which could shift business away from China and potentially to Mexico.
By weight, cross-border freight hauled by trucks was up by 3.5% compared to the previous year but remained virtually unchanged compared to August. Between July 2022 and this past September, truck freight by weight was on a downward trajectory. However, 2024 saw growth in five of its first nine months.
Top Canadian commodities for trucking by weight included vehicles (up 39%), wood (up 3%) and paper (up 20%). In Mexico, the top three commodities were vehicles (down 1%), computers/parts (up 7%) and edible vegetables/roots (down 2%).
Accounting for all modes of transportation, the total value of cross-border freight reached more than $136 billion in September. That was an increase of 3% compared to the previous year but a decrease of less than 1% compared to August.
Overall cross-border freight value trended downward between March 2023 and this past September. Last year, cross-border freight dropped in eight months, including a seven-month streak that started in March. However, the value of North American freight increased seven times between October 2023 and September.
Canadian freight was down 1% compared to the previous year, whereas Mexican freight rose by 8%.
By weight, freight crossing the borders went up by 0.3% compared to September 2023 and increased by 4% compared to August.
Cross-border freight was lower for all transportation modes except trucks in September: Vessel (down 13.5%), pipeline (down 8%), rail (down 5%) and airfreight (down 5%). LL
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