US-Canada freight falls 9% in February while Mexico trade grows 7.1%, BTS says
February 2026 transborder freight totaled $130.8 billion, down 0.7% from a year earlier, as rail and pipeline flows fell and air rose sharply.
Freight moving between the United States and its North American neighbors totaled $130.8 billion in February 2026, down 0.7% from February 2025. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported the figures on April 22, 2026.
Canada and Mexico moved in opposite directions
Behind the small overall decline, the two borders moved in opposite directions:
- U.S.-Canada freight: $57.5 billion, down 9.0%
- U.S.-Mexico freight: $73.2 billion, up 7.1%
BTS reports all values in current U.S. dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
By mode
Trucks carried the most freight, and their total edged up even as most other modes declined:
- Trucks: $87.2 billion, up 0.7%
- Rail: $14.0 billion, down 7.3%
- Pipelines: $8.9 billion, down 10.2%
- Vessels: $7.3 billion, down 5.0%
- Air: $6.0 billion, up 25.2%
Truck freight was $31.6 billion with Canada and $55.6 billion with Mexico. Rail carried $6.9 billion of freight with Canada and $7.2 billion with Mexico.
Ports and commodities
Laredo, Texas, was the top port by a wide margin, handling about $29.2 billion of freight. It was followed by Detroit at about $10.6 billion, Ysleta, Texas, at $10.3 billion and Port Huron, Michigan, at $9.4 billion.
Detroit, Port Huron and Buffalo, New York, were the top truck ports for freight with Canada. Laredo, El Paso and Otay Mesa were the top truck ports with Mexico.
Computer-related machinery and parts was the largest commodity group at about $26.4 billion. It was followed by vehicles other than railway at about $17.9 billion, and by electrical machinery and mineral fuels at about $15.8 billion and $15.7 billion.
What it meant for carriers
Trucks carried two-thirds of all transborder freight value in February. Truck freight value rose slightly from a year earlier, while rail and pipeline flows fell.
The northern border was weaker. U.S.-Canada freight fell 9.0% across all modes, while freight with Mexico grew 7.1%.
BTS noted that its monthly figures may be revised as source data are corrected or updated.