# US Border Wait Times Tracker (`martc03/border-wait-times`) Actor

Tracks real-time wait times at all US-Canada and US-Mexico border crossings from CBP. Standard vehicles, SENTRI, Ready Lane, pedestrian lanes.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/martc03/border-wait-times.md
- **Developed by:** [CoDee](https://apify.com/martc03) (community)
- **Categories:** Travel, Automation
- **Stats:** 3 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.01 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## US Border Wait Times Tracker

Real-time **US border crossing wait times** from [CBP (Customs and Border Protection)](https://bwt.cbp.gov/) for **80+ ports of entry** on the Canadian and Mexican borders.

### What data does it extract?

For each border crossing, the Actor extracts wait times across **3 lane types** and **4 lane categories**:

| Lane Type | Categories Tracked |
|-----------|-------------------|
| **Commercial Vehicle** | Standard, FAST |
| **Passenger Vehicle** | Standard, NEXUS/SENTRI, Ready Lane |
| **Pedestrian** | Standard, Ready Lane |

For each lane, the data includes:

- **Delay minutes** (current wait time)
- **Lanes open** (how many lanes are active)
- **Maximum lanes** (total capacity)
- **Operational status** (no delay, delay, lanes closed, etc.)

### Output example

```json
{
  "portNumber": "250401",
  "border": "Mexican Border",
  "portName": "San Ysidro",
  "crossingName": "San Ysidro",
  "operatingHours": "24 hrs/day",
  "portStatus": "Open",
  "laneType": "Passenger Vehicle",
  "laneCategory": "Standard",
  "operationalStatus": "delay",
  "delayMinutes": 45,
  "lanesOpen": 8,
  "maximumLanes": 25,
  "lastUpdated": "At 9:00 am PST",
  "constructionNotice": "",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-02-18T13:00:00.000Z",
  "sourceUrl": "https://bwt.cbp.gov/api/waittimes"
}
```

Each run produces **~250-350 records** covering all active border crossings and lane types.

### Input options

| Parameter | Type | Description |
|-----------|------|-------------|
| `border` | string | Filter to `"Canadian Border"` or `"Mexican Border"`. Leave empty for both. |
| `portNames` | string\[] | Filter to specific ports (e.g., `["San Ysidro", "Blaine"]`). Matches port name or crossing name. Leave empty for all. |
| `laneTypes` | string\[] | Filter to `"commercial"`, `"passenger"`, and/or `"pedestrian"`. Leave empty for all. |

### Use cases

- **Trucking & logistics companies** - Monitor commercial vehicle wait times to optimize border crossing schedules and routes
- **Cross-border commuters** - Track passenger vehicle delays at your regular crossing points
- **Supply chain managers** - Factor real-time border delays into delivery time estimates
- **Travel apps & services** - Integrate live border wait data into navigation and trip planning tools
- **Trade & customs brokers** - Alert clients about unusual delays or lane closures
- **Data journalists** - Analyze border crossing patterns, seasonal trends, and infrastructure utilization
- **Government researchers** - Study border traffic flow and crossing efficiency

### How the `delayMinutes` field works

| Raw status | `delayMinutes` |
|------------|---------------|
| `"no delay"` | `0` or `5` (CBP reports minimum ~5 min) |
| `"delay"` | Actual minutes (e.g., `45`) |
| `"Lanes Closed"` | `null` |
| `"Update Pending"` | `null` |
| `"N/A"` | `null` |

### Data freshness

CBP updates this data **multiple times per hour**. Schedule this Actor to run every 15-60 minutes for near-real-time border wait monitoring.

### Cost

This Actor makes a single API request per run. Typical cost: **less than $0.01 per run**.

# Actor input Schema

## `border` (type: `string`):

Filter to a specific border. Leave empty for both.

## `portNames` (type: `array`):

Filter to specific ports by name (e.g., \["San Ysidro", "Blaine"]). Matches port name or crossing name. Leave empty for all.

## `laneTypes` (type: `array`):

Filter to specific lane types. Leave empty for all.

## Actor input object example

```json
{}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("martc03/border-wait-times").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("martc03/border-wait-times").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call martc03/border-wait-times --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,martc03/border-wait-times"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/UhdqkTI57eohMhl0e/builds/6ulsTe3TYfCsifbqo/openapi.json