They come rumbling down the highway, crossing bridges and international borders. They bring life-saving drugs, food for the kitchen table, and that random clothing fad that will be out of fashion mere months later. Trucks are ubiquitous on American roadways.
However, they’ve become increasingly important in trade with its neighbors, Mexico and Canada, as relations with China cool and the United States government encourages “nearshoring,” the practice of moving part of a company’s production to nearby countries with similar time zones. In 2022, there were about 5.5 million truck crossings at the U.
S.-Canada border and 7.25 million at the U.
S.-Mexico border. Trade with Canada and Mexico (much of it via land instead of water or rail) has recently outpaced trade with China, which has long dominated the international trade landscape.
Truck Parking Club used data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and Census Bureau to explore U.S. freight trade with Canada and Mexico.
For the first time in decades, Mexico overtook China in the number of goods bought and sold to the U.S. in 2023.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that Canada claimed first place, taking the title of top trade partner. The shift follows the push to embrace nearshoring. The United States’ dependence on the fragile worldwide supply chain came into focus during the coronavirus pandemic.
Then, shipments of vital supplies like computer chips, personal protection equipment, and medica.
