North American Border Crossing/Entry Data

Coverage

Incoming vehicle, container, passenger, and pedestrian counts at U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada land border ports.

Availability

First Year: 1995
Last Year: 2011 (Jan-Aug)
Frequency: Monthly

Definitions

Bus Crossings

Number of arriving buses at a particular port, whether or not they are carrying passengers.

Container

A Container is defined as any conveyance entering the U.S. used for commercial purposes, either full or empty. Includes containers moving in-bond for the port initiating the bonded movements.

Types of Containers

The following are examples of a Container: Stakebed truck, truck with a car carrier, van, pickup truck/car, flatbed truck, piggyback truck with two linked trailers/containers = 2 containers, straight truck, bobtail truck, railcar, rail flatbed car stacked with four containers = 4 containers (on each rail car if there is multiple box containers count each container and the flatbed car.), and tri-level boxcar with multiple containers inside = 3 containers

Passengers Crossing In Buses

Number of persons arriving by bus requiring U.S. Customs processing.

Passengers Crossing In Privately Owned Vehicles

Persons entering the United States at a particular port by private automobiles, pick-up trucks, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, taxis, ambulances, hearses, tractors, snowmobiles and other motorized private ground vehicles.

Passengers Crossing In Trains

Number of passengers and crew arriving by train and requiring U.S. Customs processing.

Pedestrian Crossings

The number of persons arriving on foot or by certain conveyance (such as bicycles, mopeds, or wheel chairs) requiring U.S. Customs processing.

Privately Owned Vehicle Crossings

Number of privately owned vehicles (POVs) arriving at a particular port. Includes pick-up trucks, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, taxis, snowmobiles, ambulances, hearses, and other motorized private ground vehicles.

Rail Container Crossings (loaded and empty)

A container is any conveyance entering the U.S. used for commercial purposes, full or empty. In this case, it is the number of full or empty rail containers arriving at a port. This series includes containers moving as inbound shipments.

Train Crossings

Number of arriving trains at a particular port.

Truck Container Crossings (loaded and empty)

A container is any conveyance entering the U.S. used for commercial purposes, full or empty. In this case, it is the number of full or empty truck containers arriving at a port. This series includes containers moving as inbound shipments.

Truck Crossings

Number of arriving trucks; does not include privately owned pick-up trucks.

Notes

Canada

Incoming Trucks, Incoming PVs, PV Passengers, Incoming Buses, Bus Passengers, and Incoming Pedestrians

• Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine (ferry crossing) - The CAT high speed ferry operates from May to September.
• Anacortes and Friday Harbor - The international ferries that connect Anacortes and Friday Harbor, Washington with Sidney, British Columbia do not run in February. Truck Containers (Loaded) and Truck Containers (Unloaded)
• Passenger vehicle and passengers in personal vehicles data for Cape Vincent, New York (ferry) are available beginning in 2007. The ferry between Wolfe Island (Canada) and Cape Vincent does not operate in the winter.

Incoming Train Passengers

• Includes both passengers and crew.

Mexico

Incoming Trucks

• Data represent the number of truck crossings, not the number of unique vehicles, and include both loaded and unloaded trucks.
• Data for the port of Calexico are typically reported as a combined total with Calexico East.

Truck Containers (Loaded), Truck Containers (Unloaded), Incoming Trains, Rail Containers (Full), Rail Containers (Empty)

• Data for the port of Calexico are typically reported as a combined total with Calexico East.

Incoming Train Passengers

• Data for the port of Calexico are typically reported as a combined total with Calexico East.
• Includes train crew. BTS is not aware of any passenger service currently operating across the U.S.-Mexico Border.
• Customs and Border Protection has indicated to BTS that since 2009 train crew are being exchanged at the Texas-Mexico border, and thus do not enter the United States.