NORTH AMERICAN LOGISTICS · JULY 2026
How much of U.S.–Mexico trade crosses by truck?
Trucks carried about 78.7% of the value of U.S.–Mexico merchandise trade in July 2026, compared with 53.5% for U.S.–Canada trade. The difference is about 25.2 percentage points. It describes the value crossing each border by truck, rather than the number of vehicles or tonnes moved.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics released the July figures on September 23, 2026. Total U.S. trade with the two neighbors reached $157.6 billion in current dollars, up 18.8% from July 2025. Breaking the total down by border and mode makes its logistics implications easier to examine.
Where are trucks most prominent in the value mix?
U.S.–Mexico truck freight value
$74.6bn
Out of $94.8bn across all modes
U.S.–Canada truck freight value
$33.6bn
Out of $62.8bn across all modes
Open the complete values, shares and formulas
| Border pair | Truck | Other modes / categories | Total | Truck share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S.–Mexico | 74.6 | 20.2 | 94.8 | 78.7% |
| U.S.–Canada | 33.6 | 29.2 | 62.8 | 53.5% |
Mexico truck share = 74.6 ÷ 94.8 × 100 = 78.7%. Canada truck share = 33.6 ÷ 62.8 × 100 = 53.5%. Gap, calculated before rounding = 25.2 percentage points.
Other modes/categories = all-mode total − truck value. This remainder includes categories beyond the five principal transport modes shown in the release; it should not be relabeled as rail and ship freight alone. Inputs are published to one decimal billion, so the derived shares are approximate.
What does “by truck” mean for a mixed-mode journey?
BTS classifies the mode used as a shipment enters or leaves the United States. A shipment may use rail on another leg and truck at the border. That journey appears under truck in these statistics. The figures therefore show the border-crossing mode, rather than the whole supply chain’s dependence on a single transport system.
This distinction matters when discussing infrastructure. A large truck share provides a reason to investigate road gateways and cross-border handling. It does not, by itself, establish that a particular bridge is congested, that more trucks crossed, or that freight rates rose.
For a practical corridor assessment, pair merchandise value with crossing counts, processing times and the types of goods involved. Those answer different operational questions. A high-value shipment can change the dollar total substantially without producing the same change in truck traffic.
How should the annual growth headline be read?
BTS reports July’s trade value with Mexico up 27.5% from a year earlier and with Canada up 7.8%. Truck-carried value across both borders increased 23.9%. These rates show changes in nominal merchandise value. They do not isolate physical volumes, prices or a shift in the mix of goods.
Compare like with like: a share describes how a total is divided at a point in time, while a growth rate compares a measure across periods. Mexico’s larger truck share should not be interpreted as its truck share increasing by 25.2 points; that number is a cross-border gap for July 2026.
Open the valuation and coverage cautions
- Both directions: the totals add imports and exports. They are not the U.S. trade deficit with either country.
- Different valuation conventions: import values generally exclude international freight and insurance; export values include costs up to the U.S. export port. BTS explains these definitions in its FAQ.
- Gateways: goods passing through a state’s port may originate or finish elsewhere. A busy border port’s total is not automatically that state’s own trade.
- Revisions: this article preserves the September 23 release vintage. BTS warns that corrected inputs may revise statistics and directs users to its program data for the most current values.
Does this prove manufacturing is moving to Mexico?
The trade figures alone cannot establish where production capacity moved or why. Such an argument needs evidence on investment, plants, sourcing and the goods traded. This release supports a narrower conclusion: truck-carried merchandise had a much larger share of the U.S.–Mexico border total than of the U.S.–Canada total in July.
Sources, dates and reuse
Observation: July 2026; annual changes compare July 2025. Release: September 23, 2026, BTS 26-72. Sources checked October 9, 2026 (UTC). This is a dated logistics comparison, not a claim about October shipment activity.
- BTS, September 23, 2026: July North American transborder freight, BTS 26-72
- BTS TransBorder FAQs, questions 10–11 and 24–30: sources, modes and valuation
- BTS TransBorder Freight Data: current program data
- U.S. Copyright Office: facts and copyright basics
The illustration and calculations are original and use a small set of publicly reported numerical facts, with BTS credited. No agency infographic, photograph, logo, third-party database or map is copied. The Copyright Office distinguishes factual information from protected expression; public access alone should not be treated as permission to reuse every asset on a government website.
