Insights

Eleven questions freight brokers ask again and again about Mexico and Canada freight, answered plainly: where the carriers are, vetting without an MC number, B-1 drivers, customs brokers, the Carta Porte, quoting, insurance, bonded carriers, LTL and hazmat.

Canada freight runs in three directions: within Canada, across the U.S. border, and into and out of Mexico. Each one has its own crossings, paperwork, equipment and carrier records, and its own way of being priced in Canadian dollars. Here is the map.

Asset carriers, brokers, 3PLs and forwarders each own a different piece of a Mexico move. What each one does, the eight questions to ask before your first load, and how to tell whether the rate you are quoted sits where the market is.

Canadian carriers are regulated by their home province under the National Safety Code, cross the border under a CBSA carrier code, and hold a USDOT number only if they run into the United States. Here is what to check, and in what order.

A TMS is your system of record. A freight marketplace is where your load meets vetted carriers. Cargado is the marketplace, connected to your TMS, so a Mexico load you save there reaches carriers without re-typing.

B-1 drivers are not a loophole in cross border trucking, they are the carrier base, which is why the freight still moves there. Enforcement removed the operators least-equipped to stay compliant, not the demand.

There is no MC or DOT to run on a Mexican carrier. What U.S. brokers should verify instead: RFC, SICT permit, CAAT, insurance, and identity, step by step.

The two ways freight crosses the U.S.-Mexico border, when each wins, and what transloading vs through-trailer means for cost, claims, security, and quoting.

Customs broker referrals, cold outreach, one big partner, or a vetted marketplace: how brokers source Mexican carriers, and what makes postings get bids.

Seven criteria for any Mexico freight platform: vetting depth, bilingual operations, border workflow, rate context, network location, pricing, and TMS fit.

A broker's guide to turning nearshoring into covered loads: the metro-by-metro demand map, corridor math, crossing capacity, and the carrier reality.

What a load board is, why boards built for U.S. domestic freight break down in Mexico, and what a purpose-built cross-border marketplace looks like.

A practical, broker-first pricing operating system — built around benchmarking, fast spot quoting, and scaling RFP pricing without margin surprises.

Every winter and spring, Mexico becomes America’s produce aisle. For anyone moving Mexico and Canada freight, this means recurring capacity. Here’s the complete guide to what moves, when, why it stresses the truckload market (especially reefer), and how to haul it without getting burned.

Our answer to one of the most common compliance questions we hear from brokers.