Cross-border freight in June up significantly, signaling some recovery

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that in June trucks moved nearly 69% of cross-border freight – with trains, planes, ships and pipelines picking up the rest. Cross-border freight experienced one of its largest monthly increases after setting historic yearly decreases, signaling economic recovery after devastation caused by the pandemic.

Compared to June 2019, cross-border freight was down 21% after a 49% year-to-year decrease in May and a 41% decrease in April.

June cross-border freight marks among the largest month-to-month increases in transborder freight by value since records began.

The value of freight hauled across the borders increased by more than 46% compared with May, when cross-border freight went down by 3.5% compared with the previous month. April’s monthly drop of 41% is the largest on record. Valued at more than $82 billion, total June North American freight is the lowest it has been since February 2011. Earlier this year, transborder freight reached levels last seen in 2009 during the recession.

In 2019, transborder freight decreased by 0.8% compared to the previous year, with 63% of that freight carried by trucks. This year’s historic decrease in April and May sets 2020 cross-border freight behind compared to this time last year.

Trucks carried more than $56 billion of the more than $82 billion of cross-border imports and exports in June, up more than 44% from May but a decrease of 14% compared with June 2019.

Month-to-month, Canada truck freight increased by 30%, whereas Mexico truck freight skyrocketed by 58.5%. Top truck commodities were computers and parts, motor vehicles and parts, electrical machinery, plastics, and measuring/testing instruments.

June cross-border freight totaled nearly $82.1 billion, up by nearly $26 billion from the previous month but a decrease of nearly $22 billion from June 2019.

Rail freight accounted for the largest increase at 105% after decreasing by 8% in May. The smallest increase by mode came from air freight at 5%. All five major modes experienced an increase in cross-border freight in June.

Nearly 63% of U.S.-Canada June cross-border freight was moved by trucks, followed by rail at 14%. Of the nearly $42 billion of freight moving in and out of Mexico, trucks carried nearly 75% of the loads.