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Trucks carried 70% of all U.S.-Mexico freight in September, up $400 million, according to data

Port Laredo ranked second capturing 5.6% of all U.S. trade in value

Cross-border truck freight between the U.S., Canada and Mexico was $64 billion or 63.1% of all cross-border freight during September, according to data. (Photo credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Trucks again carried the majority of cross-border imports and exports during the month of September, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

Cross-border truck freight between the U.S., Canada and Mexico totaled $64 billion, or 63.1% of all cross-border freight during September 2019.

Along the U.S.-Mexico border, trucks carried 70% of all freight, moving $35.1 billion of loads in September.

The three busiest truck ports for cross-border freight were Laredo ($14.9 billion), Detroit ($9.1 billion) and El Paso ($5.5 billion), accounting for 46.2% of total cross-border truck freight.


Port Laredo ranked second for total trade, capturing 5.6% of all U.S. trade in value for September, according to WorldCity’s analysis of the latest U.S. Census Bureau data.

Laredo is showing positive signs in several indices including Trucks in the Market, Headhaul Index, Outbound Tender Volume Index and Outbound Tender Reject Index. Image: FreightWaves SONAR tree map

The Port of Los Angeles ranked first in September, capturing 6.9% of all U.S. trade.

Through September, Laredo’s top trade partners were (in order) Mexico, China, France, Japan and Malaysia.

Trade with Mexico rose 0.44% to $172.74 billion. Trade with China fell 47.83% to $988.77 million.


Laredo’s top three commodities were motor vehicles and parts, gasoline-fuel and tractors, accounting for more than $46 billion in imports and exports in September.

The El Paso Border Crossing ranked 15th for total trade, with a value of $6.56 billion for the month of September. Computers, computer parts and motor vehicles were the main imports and exports through El Paso.

The total value of cross-border freight – accounting for trucks, trains, airplanes, ships and pipelines – was $101.4 billion during September, down 0.2% compared to September 2018, according to BTS.

Noi Mahoney

Noi Mahoney is a Texas-based journalist who covers cross-border trade, logistics and supply chains for FreightWaves. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English in 1998. Mahoney has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working for newspapers in Maryland and Texas. Contact nmahoney@freightwaves.com