Chicago
Yes. Chicago freight on Cargado heads toward both borders: south to Monterrey and to Laredo, north to Toronto, with Toronto and Laredo loads coming back and Guadalajara freight arriving from Mexico. Nearly all of it moves in dry vans. Carriers are based in Chicago and across Illinois, and a load posted with its true stops reaches the carriers allowed to haul it.
Dry van leads every Chicago corridor, to Monterrey, Laredo and Toronto, and reefer freight posts out of the Midwest.
Illinois
United States
Dry van corridors south to Monterrey and north to Toronto
What drives freight here
Chicago trades freight with Mexico and Ontario at once. Loads are posted to and from the city, carriers are based in Chicago and across Illinois, and dry van leads every Chicago corridor, with reefer posting out of the Midwest.
The nearshoring picture
Chicago ships to Monterrey and to Laredo and takes Guadalajara freight north, while the wider Midwest trades dry van freight with the Bajío and northeastern Mexico. Toward Canada, Chicago and Toronto exchange loads in both directions, mostly in dry vans.
Chicago, between two borders
Chicago trades freight with Mexico and with Ontario at the same time. Loads are posted to and from the city, and carriers are based in Chicago and throughout Illinois.
Toward Mexico, Chicago ships to Monterrey directly and to Laredo as a U.S. haul that stops at the border. From Mexico, Guadalajara sends freight up to Chicago, and Laredo to Chicago posts as the U.S. haul coming back north. The wider region follows the same shape: the U.S. Midwest sends dry van freight to northeastern Mexico and to the Bajío, and takes it in from the Bajío, northeastern Mexico and central Mexico.
Toward Canada, Chicago and Toronto exchange freight in both directions, and the Midwest as a whole posts vans into Ontario.
Dry van leads every one of these Chicago corridors. Reefer freight also posts out of the Midwest, so a temperature-controlled Chicago load is a normal request.
The Laredo leg and the Toronto run
Two different rules apply, and which one depends on how you post.
Post Laredo to Chicago, or Chicago to Laredo, as a load by itself and it is domestic U.S. freight: U.S. carriers only. Post the whole trip instead, Guadalajara to Chicago for example, and it becomes one cross-border load in three legs, with one carrier bidding all of it. Chicago is deep in the U.S. interior, so a Mexican carrier needs an MX number and OP-1 authority for that load.
Chicago to Toronto also posts in one piece. A U.S. carrier with its authority can bid, and so can a Canadian carrier holding a U.S. DOT number and MC. The app lists no crossing on the northern border, so the route is settled with the carrier.
Chicago in brief
- Carriers: based in Chicago and across Illinois.
- To Mexico: Monterrey; Laredo as the U.S. haul to the border.
- From Mexico: Guadalajara; Laredo to Chicago as the U.S. haul north.
- Canada: Toronto, both ways; the Midwest also ships to Ontario.
- Trailer: dry van on every Chicago corridor; reefer posts out of the Midwest.
Posting Chicago freight on Cargado
Decide first whether you are posting the whole trip or one piece of it. A Chicago to Monterrey load posted end to end, with the crossing named or left to the carrier, draws bids that price every leg. A Chicago to Laredo load draws U.S. carriers only, which suits you when a crossing carrier and a Mexican partner are already lined up. For Toronto, post the Ontario delivery address; a bond for Canada and FAST are requirements you can set. On a long Laredo run, team drivers can be required on transit. Suggested carriers show whether each was picked for an open truck near the pickup, a saved Chicago lane or its service areas.
At a glance
Freight posted on Cargado
- Freight is posted to and from Chicago, and carriers are based in Chicago and across Illinois.
- Freight from Chicago to Monterrey and to Laredo, and from Laredo to Chicago, is posted mostly for dry van.
- Freight from Guadalajara to Chicago is posted mostly for dry van.
- Freight from Chicago to Toronto and from Toronto to Chicago is posted mostly for dry van.
- The U.S. Midwest posts dry van freight to northeastern Mexico, the Bajío and Ontario, and receives it from the Bajío, northeastern Mexico and central Mexico; reefer freight is posted out of the Midwest. Illinois is in the Midwest region of the app geography.
How the marketplace works
- Domestic U.S. freight goes only to U.S. carriers; Mexican carriers need an MX number and OP-1 for the U.S. interior; U.S.-Canada moves need a DOT and U.S. interstate needs MC for U.S. or Canadian carriers.
- A cross-border load is split into legs and one carrier bids the whole load.
- FAST, OEA and C-TPAT can be required on a posting; team drivers are set on transit.
More questions
Can one carrier haul Chicago freight to Toronto?
Yes. Post Chicago to Toronto as one load. U.S. carriers with their authority can bid, and so can Canadian carriers that hold a U.S. DOT number and MC. Freight posts between the two cities in both directions, mostly in vans. Agree the northern crossing with whoever wins it.
Is Chicago freight to Mexico only dry van?
Mostly, not only. Every Chicago corridor posts mainly for vans, and reefer freight posts out of the Midwest too. When a load needs a reefer or open deck, name the trailer and its specs on the posting so the carriers that declare that equipment are notified.
Common questions
Which Mexican markets ship freight to Chicago?
Guadalajara is the clearest: its loads to Chicago post mostly for dry van. Across the regions, the Bajío, central Mexico and northeastern Mexico all send vans to the U.S. Midwest. Laredo to Chicago also posts as a U.S. haul of its own.
Who covers the U.S. leg between Laredo and Chicago?
That depends on how you post. As its own load, Laredo to Chicago is domestic U.S. freight and only U.S. carriers see it. As part of a through load from Mexico, one carrier bids the whole trip, and a Mexican carrier needs OP-1 authority to take it to Chicago.
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