The World Trade and Colombia Solidarity bridges in Laredo, Texas, saw 10,426 more commercial truck crossings in October compared with October 2019, according to the city of Laredo.
Commercial truck crossings totaled 220,260 vehicles in October, compared with 209,834 during the same period last year, a 5% increase.
It was the second straight month that international truck crossings rose at the United States-Mexico border port of entry in Laredo. Cross-border truck crossings saw a 7.7% year-over-year increase in September, totaling 205,527.
The increase in cross-border truck crossings was mainly generated by the automotive production industry recovering from its shutdown during April and May.
Sales of new vehicles produced in Mexico in the United States have improved to almost pre-pandemic levels, said Oscar Albin, president of Mexico’s National Autoparts Industry Association (INA).
Between January and September of this year, Mexican car sales in the U.S. registered a market share of 14.1%, very close to the 16.04% registered in the same period of the previous year, according to a press conference last week.
“The demand for cars in the U.S. has improved, and there’s also the fact that companies in the U.S. are giving incentives for the purchase of vehicles,” Albin said.
Albin added that the lack of a peaceful transition in the U.S. presidency “could affect the markets” and lead to a decrease in car sales in coming months.
Port Laredo’s top three imports for October were motor vehicle parts, passenger vehicles and heavy-duty trucks. The top three exports from Laredo to Mexico were motor vehicle parts, internal combustion engines and gasoline.
Laredo’s outbound tender volume (OTVI.LRD) is up 10% since Oct. 26, signaling market conditions are slightly improving for carriers, according to FreightWaves’ SONAR platform.
However, many carriers could still be reluctant to take loads from Laredo to northern Texas, with lane-specific tender rejection rates from LRD-DAL and LRD-HOU of 31.4% and 15%, respectively.
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