Borderlands Mexico: Truck exports to U.S. fall in March

Borderlands Mexico: Truck exports to U.S. fall in March

Noi Mahoney

5 min read

Borderlands Mexico is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week in Borderlands: Truck exports to U.S. fall in March; Mexico’s Port of Manzanillo posts record Q1 container volumes; and GM, SAIC weigh Mexico production amid tariff shifts.

Truck exports to U.S. fall in March

Mexico’s heavy-duty truck sector showed continued weakness in March, with production and exports falling year over year despite signs of a sequential recovery, as U.S. demand remains the dominant driver of cross-border shipments.

Mexico produced 12,617 heavy-duty trucks in the month, a 6.6% decline compared to March 2025, according to data from the country’s statistics agency INEGI.

Exports totaled 10,625 units, down 5.9% year over year, underscoring softer freight equipment demand across North America.

Industry leaders pointed to a mix of structural and cyclical pressures impacting production and exports, including:

Weak freight demand and cautious fleet investment

Elevated inventories across North American carriers

Competition from used truck imports into Mexico

Guillermo Rosales, president of Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors (AMDA), said the sector is still recovering from a sharp downturn that began in 2025.

“The industry is facing a pronounced contraction in production, exports and domestic sales,” Rosales said during a news conference on Monday.

He added that policy measures aimed at fleet renewal and limiting used truck imports could help support production and export demand later in 2026.

Despite the declines, industry officials pointed to a month-over-month rebound in both production and exports as a potential early signal of stabilization following a weak start to 2026.

U.S. remains dominant export market

The U.S. continued to anchor Mexico’s heavy-duty truck exports, accounting for 92% of shipments during the first quarter, or 21,661 units, according to INEGI.

That dependence highlights how closely Mexico’s truck manufacturing sector is tied to U.S. freight cycles, fleet investment and replacement demand.

Officials from ANPACT emphasized that exports remain heavily concentrated in Class 8 and cargo units, with diesel trucks continuing to dominate production and outbound shipments.

“Our principal export product is cargo equipment,” Rogelio Arzate, president of Mexico’s National Association of Bus, Truck and Tractor-Trailer Producers (Anpact) said during the monthly briefing, noting that nearly all exported units in March were freight-focused vehicles.

The 16 members of Anpact in Mexico are Freightliner, Kenworth, Navistar, Hino, International, DINA, MAN SE, Mercedes-Benz, Isuzu, Scania, Shacman Trucks, Foton, Cummins, Detroit Diesel, Daimler Buses Mexico and Volkswagen Buses.

Exports mirror freight market softness

Export volumes also reflect broader freight market conditions, particularly in the U.S., where carriers have been cautious about adding capacity.

Mexico exported 10,625 units in March, down 6% from 11,288 units in the same month in 2025. On a quarterly basis, exports fell 30.3% to 23,550 units, signaling a sharp pullback in cross-border equipment flows.

Still, ANPACT officials noted that monthly export volumes have been rising since January, climbing from about 7,800 units in February to over 10,600 in March.

Freightliner was the top truck producer and exporter in Mexico in March, producing 8,366 trucks, a 1.4 year-over-year increase. The truck maker exported 8,097 units during the month, a 2.8% year-over-year decrease.

International Trucks Inc. was the No. 2 producer and exporter during February, manufacturing 2,990 trucks, a 2.7% year-over-year decrease. The truck maker’s exports fell 17.7% year-over-year to 2,359 units during the month.

Mexico Heavy-Duty Truck Production & Exports – March 2026

Key totals (INEGI):

Production: 12,617 units (-6.6% YoY)

Exports: 10,625 units (-5.9% YoY)

U.S. share of exports (Q1): 92%

Top OEM production (March):

Freightliner: 8,366 units

International: 2,990 units

Kenworth: 748 units

Isuzu: 192 units

Top OEM exports (March):

Freightliner: 8,097 units

International: 2,359 units

Kenworth: 169 units

Mix:

Cargo trucks dominate production (~97% of output)

Diesel remains primary powertrain across production and exports

Mexico’s Port of Manzanillo posts record Q1 container volumes

Mexico’s busiest Pacific gateway, the Port of Manzanillo, handled a record 1,007,594 TEUs during the first quarter, marking a 2.9% year-over-year increase and the highest Q1 total ever recorded at a Mexican port.

The results underscore Manzanillo’s growing role as a key Pacific trade hub, particularly for export-driven supply chains linking Mexico with Asia and the U.S.

According to the ASIPONA, exports drove much of the growth, accounting for 45% of containerized cargo and rising 9.1% compared to last year. Imports made up 41% of volumes, slipping 1.1%, while transshipment activity represented 14%, declining 3.9%.

Containers dominated overall throughput, representing roughly 75% of total commercial cargo at the port. Bulk segments also remained significant, with mineral cargo—including iron pellets, copper concentrate and fertilizer inputs—making up 14%, and agricultural bulk shipments such as soybeans, wheat and barley accounting for 7%.

General cargo, including machinery and steel products, represented the remaining 4%.

GM, SAIC weigh Mexico production amid tariff shifts

General Motors and its China-based joint venture SAIC-GM-Wuling are in advanced talks to launch vehicle production in Mexico, a move that could reshape North American supply chains as automakers respond to new import tariffs, according to Mexico Business News.

The potential shift follows recent Mexican tariff measures targeting Asian imports and comes as roughly 64% of GM’s vehicle sales in Mexico are sourced from China, making localization an increasingly strategic option.

Executives from the joint venture recently visited GM’s Toluca plant to evaluate manufacturing capabilities, identifying opportunities for product optimization and potential local production.

The move aims to position Mexico as a key production hub tied to Chinese-backed operations in North America, as rising tariffs and trade tensions push automakers to rethink sourcing and manufacturing strategies.