Abstract
We investigate northbound crossings of loaded cargo trucks from Mexico to the U.S. from 2015 to 2023 through the Land Ports of Entry (POE) along the U.S.-Mexico border states. A weaker peso in real terms, exports, and U.S. industrial production positively affect the flow of loaded containers. We find crime rates have varying regional effects on loaded cargo trucks, with homicides having no impact on crossings at all. Meanwhile, truck robberies occurring in the municipalities located immediately next to the border have no effect on crossings. Still, national and state robberies of trucks present negative effects, with the former having twice the impact than the latter. In addition, along the Texas POEs, state robberies are statistically significant, but not across the rest of the U.S. states.