PBOA

Car traffic between the US and Canada was up a healthy 6.6% in 2011, growing to 30.3m from 28.4m in 2010, but truck traffic at 6.7m was flat.  Overall traffic was up 5.3% to 37.14m from 35.26m - all numbers here are the eleven toll crossings as compiled by the Public Border Operators Association.  

November truck numbers for the US-Canada border crossings were a bit weaker than in earlier months and the very severe winter in December will make this month weak too. But overall 2010 is likely to see about a 5% increase in traffic at the border to 35m, cars up about 4% to 28.1m, trucks up about 10% to 6.7m.

Traffic at 11 toll border crossings US-Canada in April showed a continuation of recent months' trends - for a quite robust recovery in truck traffic and little improvement in cars. This April car traffic is up a mere 1.7% on April last year (2248k v 2210k 2009-04) while truck traffic is up 14.7% (571k v 498k 2009-04).

Ambassador Bridge this April did 226k trucks v 188k 2009-04 up 20.2%, while cars were 383k v 350k 2009-04, a 9.4% rise.  

Total traffic at US-Canada toll border crossings in the first three months of the year is up a feeble 1.4% to 7.45m vs 7.35m Jan-Mar 2009. Public Border Operators Association (PBOA) statistics issued last Friday - these cover the eleven toll crossings of Ontario with New York and Michigan - showed a March uptick of 4% over March 2009. Back in 2006 Jan-Mar traffic was 9.48m.

September traffic at the US-Canadian toll crossings continued to be weak at 2,947k this year v 3169k in 2008-09  - a 7% drop - and 3473k in 2007-09. This September was down 16.7% on the 3537k of 2006-09.  The high value, high toll trucks are down more than cars this September being 10.3% fewer at 565k v 630k last September. Cars are off 6.2% at 2364k v 2520k last Sept.

February through April gave some signs of a possible bottom to the decline in traffic at the US-Canadian border toll facilities but June numbers were another heavy downer after a bad May with an 18% decline.

Traffic in June 2009 at ten reporting toll crossings was 2.59m v 3.11m June 2008, a decline of 17%.