Open government data, decoded
Border crossings and port trade: reading freight demand from official data
Laredo, Texas took 2,968,087 inbound truck crossings in the 12 months to August 2026, 23% of all land-border trucks. The latest month in the BTS file is August 2026: 1,080,710 trucks, +2.5% against August 2025. Next to it, Census port data shows $336 billion of imports in August 2026.
SnapshotBTS Border Crossing Entry Data, trucks and truck containersData period: May 2023 to August 2026, monthly. Latest month in the file: August 2026Retrieved Oct 9, 2026, 22:01 UTCretrieved Oct 9, 2026
SnapshotCensus international trade by port, imports and exportsData period: June 2024 to August 2026, monthlyRetrieved Oct 9, 2026, 22:04 UTCretrieved Oct 9, 2026
What the dates mean
Official statistics arrive weeks after the month they describe. The newest month in the BTS file when we pulled it was August 2026, and the newest in the Census file was August 2026. Nothing here is live. The reading guide describes the past and does not predict the next month.
The numbers at a glance
Counted from the BTS file for the 12 months to August 2026 and the 12 months before.
- 12,797,830inbound trucks, 12 months to August 2026
- -1.2%against the 12 months before
- 7,613,105on the Mexico border (+0.6%)
- 5,184,725on the Canada border (-3.7%)
- 55%of trucks cross at the five busiest ports
Trend: trucks a month, 39 months
Inbound truck crossings per month, May 2023 to August 2026.
- Total
- Mexico
- Canada
Map: which border states carry the trucks
Inbound trucks by state of the port, 12 months to August 2026. Click a state or a row.
- 11,269 to 50,145 (3 states)
- 178,767 to 207,020 (3 states)
- 242,077 to 479,545 (3 states)
- 549,154 to 1,479,742 (3 states)
- 2,207,151 to 5,446,798 (2 states)
- No data
| State | Inbound trucks | Change vs year before | Busiest port |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 11,269 | -1.0% | Alcan |
| Arizona | 479,545 | -1.1% | Nogales |
| California | 1,479,742 | -2.6% | Otay Mesa |
| Idaho | 50,145 | -8.1% | Eastport |
| Maine | 242,077 | -4.2% | Houlton |
| Michigan | 2,207,151 | -2.3% | Detroit |
| Minnesota | 37,978 | -13.3% | International Falls |
| Montana | 178,767 | -1.7% | Sweetgrass |
| New Mexico | 207,020 | +13.3% | Santa Teresa |
| New York | 1,344,553 | -4.4% | Buffalo Niagara Falls |
| North Dakota | 377,357 | -3.8% | Pembina |
| Texas | 5,446,798 | +1.2% | Laredo |
| Vermont | 186,274 | -3.7% | Highgate Springs |
| Washington | 549,154 | -6.9% | Blaine |
Top ports
Where trucks cross, how the count moved, its share of its border and when the port is busiest.
| Port | State | Border | Trucks, 12 months | Change vs year before | Share of all border trucks | Share of its border | Busiest month | Busiest / slowest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laredo | Texas | Mexico | 2,968,087 | +0.1% | 39.0% | Oct | 1.20x | |
| Detroit | Michigan | Canada | 1,231,211 | +3.6% | 23.7% | Mar | 1.32x | |
| Otay Mesa | California | Mexico | 991,552 | -0.9% | 13.0% | Oct | 1.24x | |
| Port Huron | Michigan | Canada | 949,561 | -8.6% | 18.3% | Oct | 1.21x | |
| Buffalo Niagara Falls | New York | Canada | 856,609 | -2.8% | 16.5% | Oct | 1.19x | |
| Hidalgo | Texas | Mexico | 714,580 | +0.0% | 9.4% | Oct | 1.22x | |
| Ysleta | Texas | Mexico | 652,942 | -0.6% | 8.6% | Oct | 1.22x | |
| Calexico East | California | Mexico | 427,320 | -6.9% | 5.6% | Mar | 1.17x | |
| Nogales | Arizona | Mexico | 402,335 | -2.0% | 5.3% | May | 1.96x | |
| Blaine | Washington | Canada | 329,189 | -2.3% | 6.3% | Jul | 1.17x | |
| Eagle Pass | Texas | Mexico | 324,669 | -4.5% | 4.3% | Dec | 1.34x | |
| Brownsville | Texas | Mexico | 308,846 | +6.1% | 4.1% | Oct | 1.29x | |
| Champlain Rouses Point | New York | Canada | 258,537 | -5.9% | 5.0% | Oct | 1.19x | |
| Pembina | North Dakota | Canada | 235,000 | -4.6% | 4.5% | Mar | 1.22x | |
| Santa Teresa | New Mexico | Mexico | 190,409 | +16.0% | 2.5% | May | 1.38x |
Trucks means inbound truck crossings counted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and published by BTS. It counts trucks, not loads, containers or weight. Share of its border is the port's trucks divided by all trucks on the same border (Mexico or Canada). Busiest month and the ratio come from the average share of the year in each calendar month over 2024, 2025.
Seasonality: when each border is busy
Each bar is a calendar month against an average month (100), averaged over 2024, 2025.
- Mexico border
- Canada border
Port picker: pattern and seasonal split
Pick a port to see its monthly trucks and how a year splits across calendar months. It runs in your browser.
Example values The 240 loads is an example. Replace it with your own.
Selected port
- Trucks, latest month in file
- Trucks, last 12 months
- Change vs year before
- Share of its border
Months show the share of a year (or your loads, if entered) in each calendar month, averaged over 2024, 2025. Past pattern, not a forecast. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Census: how much trade value comes through the ports
U.S. imports and exports by month, all ports, June 2024 to August 2026.
- Imports
- Exports
Top ports by import value
12 months to August 2026. Air and sea ports are here too, because Census reports every port. Land-border truck ports are the ones you can match to BTS truck counts below.
Trucks and trade at the same ports
The part nobody else joins: the BTS truck count and the Census trade value for the same port, side by side.
Biggest gap in this table: at Ysleta, TX import value changed +42.6% over the last 12 months while inbound trucks changed -0.6%. Trucks and dollars are different measures and do not have to move together.
| Port | Inbound trucks | Truck change | Imports, customs value | Import change | Exports | Export change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laredo, TX | 2,968,087 | +0.1% | $259.1B | +16.8% | $134.4B | +5.4% |
| Ysleta, TX | 652,942 | -0.6% | $99.2B | +42.6% | $47.0B | +32.6% |
| Detroit, MI | 1,231,211 | +3.6% | $70.6B | +1.6% | $79.8B | -0.2% |
| Port Huron, MI | 949,561 | -8.6% | $68.0B | -8.6% | $56.9B | -5.9% |
| Buffalo Niagara Falls, NY | 856,609 | -2.8% | $45.8B | -3.4% | $43.9B | -6.6% |
| Otay Mesa, CA | 991,552 | -0.9% | $43.4B | +3.6% | $20.9B | -8.9% |
| Eagle Pass, TX | 324,669 | -4.5% | $33.2B | +8.3% | $12.1B | -1.4% |
| Santa Teresa, NM | 190,409 | +16.0% | $31.6B | +40.1% | $19.2B | +47.7% |
| Hidalgo, TX | 714,580 | +0.0% | $31.2B | +0.5% | $14.5B | +1.4% |
| Nogales, AZ | 402,335 | -2.0% | $22.5B | -3.4% | $11.3B | +1.2% |
| El Paso, TX | 175,125 | +13.4% | $14.0B | +14.1% | $16.8B | +29.2% |
| Champlain Rouses Point, NY | 258,537 | -5.9% | $13.8B | -22.6% | $10.9B | +4.9% |
Two official counts joined on the port code that BTS and the Census Bureau share. Trucks is the BTS count of inbound trucks. Imports and exports are Census customs value in dollars for everything that moves through that port by any mode, including rail and pipeline, so the dollar value is not truck freight. A port where trucks rise while import dollars fall can mean lighter or cheaper loads, a change of commodity, or a shift of mode. The table shows that the two do not always move together; it does not say why.
Where freight demand is heading: a careful reading guide
Five signals from the two files. Each row says what it counts, the latest reading, what a change can mean and what it cannot tell you.
| Signal | Where it comes from | Latest reading | What a change can mean | What it cannot tell you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inbound truck crossings | BTS Border Crossing Entry Data, measure Trucks | 12,797,830 in 12 months to August 2026, -1.2% vs the year before; flat, within 2% | More trucks entering can mean more cross-border freight moving by road, or the same freight in more, lighter trucks. | It counts trucks, not loads, weight or revenue, and only inbound U.S. entries. |
| Concentration | BTS Border Crossing Entry Data, share of trucks by port | The five busiest ports carry 55% of all land-border trucks. Laredo alone carries 39% of the Mexico border and Detroit 24% of the Canada border | A high share at one port means a jam, strike or closure there hits a large part of the border flow, and the next crossing becomes the pressure valve. | It is a count of trucks, not capacity, and it says nothing about wait times. |
| Import value, all ports | Census International Trade API, imports by port | $3,510B in 12 months to August 2026, +1.6% vs the year before; flat, within 2% | Imports are goods that need to move inland after they land. Higher value can mean more freight to haul, or higher prices for the same freight. | Dollars, not tonnage or trucks. Price changes and tariffs move value without moving volume. |
| Export value, all ports | Census International Trade API, exports by port | $2,387B in 12 months to August 2026, +12.6% vs the year before; up | Exports are goods leaving the U.S. They show demand for freight moving from inland to ports and borders. | Also dollars. Many exports leave by air or pipeline, not truck. |
| Seasonal swing at a port | Your own port, from the port picker above | See the port picker for the busiest and slowest calendar months | If your lane runs through a port with a big swing, your volume and your rate may swing with it. | It is the average of past years, not this year's forecast. |
Latest reading is computed here from the files named. It describes the past 12 months. It is not a forecast. Use it to ask a better question of your broker or shipper, not to set a rate.
How to use this without fooling yourself
- Compare like with like. Use a month against the same month a year earlier. Winter against summer mixes seasonality with trend.
- Read concentration as risk. If one port carries a large share of a border, a disruption there reaches many lanes at once. Ask what your second crossing is.
- Look at dollars and trucks together. If trade value rises while trucks fall, check for a mode shift or a price effect before you conclude anything about demand for trucking.
- Do not set rates from this. These are volumes and values. Rates come from the lane and the week. A rate tool or your broker's quote is where a price comes from.
- Use the port pattern for planning. If your volume follows a port's seasonal swing, schedule driver time, maintenance and cash around the slow months.
Why this matters for your money
Cross-border and port lanes swing with the calendar. At the ten busiest land ports the busiest calendar month carries between 1.17 and 1.96 times the trucks of the slowest month, averaged over 2024, 2025, and the swing differs by port. If you quote a flat rate and schedule a flat crew all year, the slow months leave trucks parked and the busy months leave money on the table.
The second money point is direction. Where import dollars at a port far exceed export dollars, trade is lopsided in dollars, and a one-way lane is more likely. The files do not say whether your truck returns empty, because they do not count weight or equipment. Put your own empty miles next to this picture in the free audit and see which lanes earn in both directions.
Questions
What does "latest month" mean in the BTS data?
BTS publishes a border crossing month after its data are processed, so the newest month is weeks behind the calendar. The newest month in the file we pulled on Oct 9, 2026 was August 2026, which is the date every BTS number on this page ends on.
Does a truck crossing equal a load?
No. BTS counts inbound trucks, not loads, containers or weight. A truck can cross loaded or empty.
Why is a Texas port ranked above a Michigan port in trucks but not in dollars?
Truck counts and customs value are different measures. Value depends on the goods, the mode, and the port. The joined table shows the two side by side so you can see where they diverge.
Can I use this to predict freight demand?
No. It describes what already happened. The reading guide is a way to ask better questions, such as whether a lane's volume is shifting or seasonal, not a forecast.
Why only land ports for trucks?
BTS counts crossings at land ports of entry, trucks on the Mexico and Canada borders. Air and sea cargo have no truck-crossing count in this file.
Related guides and tools
- Border crossings (24-month view): the shorter BTS trucks-only trend page
- Ports and trade: Census import value by port
- Freight corridors: where truck freight concentrates inside the U.S.
- Freight season planner: planning around the calendar
- Cash flow 13-week guide: plan cash around slow and busy months
- Deadhead calculator: price the empty miles on a one-way lane
- Intelligence hub: all the open-data pages in one list
BTS source
Census source
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