BTS Says North American Transborder Freight Fell in March

By Stephen Nakrosis

The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics Wednesday said transborder freight between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico declined 7.9% in March compared to the year-ago period.

According to the bureau, $98.8 billion of transborder freight was moved during the month.

The transborder freight value in March rose 2.9% from February, and reached its highest monthly value since November 2019.

The most used mode of transportation was trucks, which moved $62.6 billion of freight, the bureau said, a 7.1% decline from March 2019. Trucks moved 57.3% of all northern border freight and 69.2% of all southern border freight.

Railways moved $15 billion of freight, which was 7.7% lower compared to the year-ago period, the BTS said. In March, 16.3% of all northern border freight was moved by rail, as was 14% of all southern border freight.

On the U.S.-Canada border, $4.6 billion of freight moved via pipeline, $3.1 billion by air and $1.7 billion by ship in March.

On the U.S.-Mexico border, $5.2 billion of freight moved via ship, $1.4 billion moved by air and $400 million moved via pipeline, the BTS said.

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