San Luis

San Luis anchors the far western corner of Arizona's border, where the Colorado River delta meets the Sonoran desert. Commercial freight uses San Luis II, a standalone commercial port east of the original downtown crossing, purpose-built to separate trucks from passenger and pedestrian flows. The City of San Luis reports it is Arizona's second largest port for imported fresh produce, behind Nogales, and the crossing sits at the heart of one of North America's most productive winter vegetable regions, with Yuma County growing the large majority of U.S. winter leafy greens.

What brokers should know

• Winter is the season. Reefer demand concentrates in the cooler months when the Yuma and San Luis Río Colorado valleys harvest, and capacity loosens sharply in summer.
• Purpose-built port. Because San Luis II is commercial-only, trucks are not competing with the heavy pedestrian and commuter flows of the downtown crossing.
• Thin but real. This is a small market on Cargado today, so lead time and complete postings drive coverage more than anything else.

Produce loads commonly transload at area cold storage for inspection and consolidation before the U.S. linehaul, while manufactured freight runs door-to-door where equipment and schedules allow. See transbordo for the two patterns. Nearby capacity concentrates at Nogales-Mariposa, about four hours east, which shares the same produce seasonality and offers a deeper carrier pool for western Mexico freight. Crossing fundamentals are covered in Mexico 101.

On Cargado, San Luis is a small but real market. Postings that spell out commodity, temperature requirements, and true origin and destination get answered first in a market this size.

Popular lanes through San Luis

Every Cargado lane that routes through this crossing carries a border-aware route map and a day-by-day transit estimate, with the Mexican leg and the U.S. leg broken out at the border. A sample:

• Mexicali → Toronto On
• Mexicali → Laredo
• Laredo → Mexicali
• Toronto On → Mexicali
• Mexicali → Montreal Qc
• Mexicali → Houston
• Houston → Mexicali
• Mexicali → Vancouver Bc
• Mexicali → Los Angeles
• Los Angeles → Mexicali
• Vancouver Bc → Mexicali
• Mexicali → Calgary Ab

Browse all Mexico & Canada freight lanes →

Next step

Moving freight through San Luis? Cargado Market Rates come from real carrier bids and show on lanes with enough recent bidding.

On the Cargado network

Carrier capacity at San Luis

San Luis, Arizona, is paired in the app with San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora. Do not confuse it with San Luis Potosí, a city in central Mexico with its own market page. Freight is posted through this crossing for dry van and for open deck, and carriers with those two kinds of equipment declare it. Carriers with reefer and straight truck equipment declare San Luis too, though few loads for those two are posted through it so far.

Freight posted through San Luis starts or ends in Sonora. Sonora freight is also posted through Calexico East, Nogales, Douglas, Otay Mesa, El Paso and Laredo, so a Sonora load can take any of them.

B1 and CDL carriers declare San Luis, and so do C-TPAT, FAST and bonded-for-Mexico carriers.

San Luis in brief

• Port pair: San Luis, Arizona, and San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora (not San Luis Potosí).
• Freight posted: dry van and open deck.
• Reefer and straight truck: carriers list San Luis, with no freight described.
• Declared by carriers here: B1 and CDL drivers, C-TPAT, FAST and a Mexico bond.
• Mexican state: Sonora.

How to reach San Luis capacity on Cargado

Post the load with the real Sonora pickup, the U.S. destination and San Luis as the crossing, and say whether the trailer is dry van or open deck, the two families with freight posted here. Add C-TPAT, FAST or a bond as a requirement if the load needs one, and set the minimum cargo insurance, which every cross-border posting requires. Each suggested carrier shows why it was picked, such as an available truck near the Sonora pickup. It does not show C-TPAT, FAST, a bond or insurance, so ask the bidder for those before you accept.

At a glance

Freight posted on Cargado

• Freight is posted through San Luis for dry van and open deck, and carriers with that equipment declare the crossing.
• Freight is posted between Sonora and the U.S. through San Luis.
• Sonora freight is also posted through Calexico East, Nogales, Douglas, Otay Mesa, El Paso and Laredo.

Carriers declare it

• Carriers with reefer and straight truck equipment declare the San Luis crossing.
• Carriers with B1 drivers and CDL drivers declare the San Luis crossing.
• C-TPAT, FAST and bonded-for-Mexico carriers declare the San Luis crossing.

More questions

Which carriers list San Luis?

Those that put San Luis among their crossings, including carriers with B1 or CDL drivers, C-TPAT or FAST status and a bond for Mexico. Name San Luis on the load and vetted carriers bid; each suggested carrier shows why it was picked.

Where in Sonora does San Luis freight start?

Sonora. The Mexican pair is San Luis Río Colorado, but a load can start anywhere in the state. Give the true origin on the posting. If the load is flexible, Calexico East and Nogales also carry Sonora freight, so decide the crossing first.

Can I require a bond for Mexico on a San Luis load?

Yes. A bond for Mexico is one of the requirements you can set, as are C-TPAT, FAST and a cargo insurance minimum. Carriers declaring San Luis include bonded-for-Mexico carriers. A bond is declared by the carrier, with documents our team reviews.