North American Transborder Freight Update: November 2025 Insights from BTS Data

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), under the U.S. Department of Transportation, has released its monthly TransBorder Freight Data for November 2025. Published on a fixed schedule as mandated by the Office of Management and Budget, this comprehensive dataset captures the value of U.S. imports and exports with Canada and Mexico across all major transportation modes, commodities, and key geographic points.

These figures, reported in nominal U.S. dollars, do not adjust for inflation or changes in physical tonnage, so year-over-year comparisons reflect value-based trends rather than volume shifts. Note that the most current and complete data, including potential revisions, are always available on the official BTS TransBorder program page.

This release highlights ongoing dynamics in North American trade under the USMCA framework, where integrated supply chains continue to drive cross-border activity. At Gain Consulting LLC, we regularly analyze these statistics to provide actionable insights for clients in logistics, manufacturing, infrastructure planning, and trade corridor development.

Overall Transborder Freight Performance

Total transborder freight in November 2025 reached $124.8 billion, representing a 4.7% decline compared to November 2024. This overall dip masks contrasting performances between the two primary borders:

• U.S.-Canada freight (both directions): $53.7 billion, down sharply by 13.1% year-over-year.

• U.S.-Mexico freight (both directions): $71.1 billion, showing modest growth of 2.9% year-over-year.

  
  

The resilience in U.S.-Mexico flows underscores the accelerating nearshoring trend, as companies increasingly integrate production across the southern border to reduce lead times and geopolitical risks associated with longer-distance sourcing.

In contrast, the steeper drop in U.S.-Canada trade may reflect seasonal factors, fluctuations in energy markets (particularly oil and natural gas via pipelines), or broader economic softening in certain sectors.

Breakdown by Mode of Transportation

Trucking remains the backbone of North American transborder commerce, handling the majority of freight value and showing the only positive growth among major modes:

• Trucks: $83.7 billion (up 1.4% YoY) – Continued dominance highlights the efficiency of road-based, just-in-time delivery for manufactured goods.

• Railways: $14.3 billion (down 11.9%)

• Pipelines: $7.1 billion (down 10.4%)

• Vessels: $8.2 billion (down 15.3%)

• Air: $5.0 billion (down 3.7%)

Detailed mode breakdown by border (in billions USD):

U.S.-Canada

• Truck: $30.8B

• Rail: $7.4B

• Pipeline: $6.4B

• Vessel: $5.7B

• Air: $2.4B

U.S.-Mexico

• Truck: $52.9B

• Rail: $6.9B

• Air: $2.6B

• Vessel: $2.5B

• Pipeline: $0.7B

The truck sector's growth, driven largely by the southern border, aligns with increased manufacturing and assembly operations in Mexico serving U.S. markets.

Key Border Ports and Infrastructure Hubs

Major gateways continue to facilitate the bulk of flows:

Top truck ports – U.S.-Canada: Detroit, Port Huron (Michigan), Buffalo (New York) Top truck ports – U.S.-Mexico: Laredo (Texas), El Paso (Texas), Otay Mesa (California)

Top rail connections – U.S.-Canada: Detroit, Port Huron, International Falls Top rail connections – U.S.-Mexico: Laredo, Eagle Pass, El Paso

Pipeline regions – U.S.-Canada: Chicago, Port Huron, Minneapolis (energy-focused) Pipeline regions – U.S.-Mexico: El Paso, Hidalgo, Laredo

Water ports – U.S.-Canada: Boston, Arthur, Portland Water ports – U.S.-Mexico: Houston, Arthur, Texas City

These corridors represent critical chokepoints where infrastructure investments, customs processing efficiency, and congestion management directly impact trade velocity.

Top Commodities and Leading Ports by Value

The November 2025 data reveals the heavy influence of high-value manufactured and technology-related goods:

Rank	Port / Commodity	Value (USD)
1	Laredo, Texas (Port)	$29.50 billion
2	Computer-Related Machinery and Parts	$26.79 billion
3	Detroit, Michigan (Port)	$9.86 billion
4	Vehicles Other than Railway	$18.03 billion
5	Port Huron, Michigan (Port)	$9.46 billion
6	Electrical Machinery, Equipment & Parts	$14.69 billion
7	Ysleta, Texas (Port)	$8.92 billion
8	Mineral Fuels; Oils and Waxes	$14.02 billion
9	Buffalo, New York (Port)	$5.60 billion
10	Plastics and Articles	$4.26 billion

Computer equipment, vehicles, electrical components, and plastics reflect deeply integrated North American automotive and electronics supply chains, where parts cross borders multiple times before final assembly.

Strategic Implications for Supply Chain Leaders

The divergent trends—growth with Mexico and contraction with Canada—point to evolving priorities in North American trade. Nearshoring momentum continues to favor the southern border, supported by robust truck flows and key hubs like Laredo. Meanwhile, energy and bulk commodity dependencies on Canada may require closer monitoring amid pipeline and vessel declines.

Businesses should consider:

• Diversifying transportation modes to mitigate rail and vessel volatility

• Investing in border-adjacent facilities to capitalize on truck growth

• Assessing infrastructure resilience at top ports to avoid congestion risks

• Monitoring commodity-specific trends for inventory and sourcing adjustments

At Gain Consulting LLC, our team specializes in turning data like this into strategic advantages—whether through supply chain optimization, risk assessments, corridor feasibility studies, or nearshoring advisory services.

Explore the full interactive dataset and historical trends on the BTS TransBorder Freight Data homepage.

Ready to discuss how these November 2025 figures impact your operations? Contact Gain Consulting LLC today.