Houston

Where Houston freight goes in Mexico

Houston sits a long haul from the border, so every Mexico load here includes a Texas leg to or from a crossing. Freight is posted to and from the city, and carriers are based in Houston and across Texas.

Monterrey is the closest partner, with loads posted both ways. Cuautitlán Izcalli, the industrial north edge of the Mexico City metro, also trades with Houston in both directions. Going south, Houston adds Saltillo and Puebla. Coming north, it receives loads from Guadalajara and from San Luis Potosí.

Each of those corridors posts mainly for vans, which makes Houston a dry van market first. A reefer, flatbed or straight truck load from Houston still goes out to the network; put the trailer on the posting so the carriers that declare it hear about it.

One Houston corridor never leaves Texas. Houston to Laredo posts as a load of its own, the U.S. haul down to the border, and like any load that starts and ends in the U.S., only U.S. carriers see it.

Houston in brief

• Carriers: based in Houston and across Texas.
• Both directions: Monterrey, and Cuautitlán Izcalli in the Mexico City area.
• Southbound: Saltillo and Puebla.
• Northbound: Guadalajara and San Luis Potosí.
• Inside Texas: Houston to Laredo, posted on its own, U.S. carriers only.
• Trailer on these corridors: dry van, almost across the board.

A transfer at Laredo is your choice, not a rule

None of the Houston corridors fixes a crossing, so the posting decides it. Pick "Transfer by carrier" and the carrier handles the border; pick "Pre-set transfer" when you have already assigned a crossing carrier.

On a through load, one carrier bids the trip and may price the Mexican leg, the crossing and the Texas leg one by one. A bidder can also note how it plans to cross: running through with B1 drivers (the "B1 (intl blue plates)" option), or handing the trailer to a crossing carrier. That note is optional, so ask when it is blank.

Houston is in the U.S. interior, outside the border commercial zones. A Mexican carrier can take a Houston pickup or delivery only with an MX number and OP-1 authority, and the marketplace applies that before anyone sees the load.

Posting Houston freight on Cargado

Give the real Houston-area dock and the true Mexican city, not a Laredo yard, so bids cover the trip you actually have. Name the crossing if your customs broker already uses one. A Monterrey run that repeats every week belongs on a recurring lane with its frequency, which lets carriers save it. A Houston pickup can surface an "Available truck" reason when a carrier has posted an open truck near the city, next to "Preferred lane" for carriers that saved a Houston to Mexico search. If your customer needs more than the usual cargo coverage, set a higher cargo insurance minimum and confirm the certificate before you book.

At a glance

Freight posted on Cargado

• Freight is posted to and from Houston, and carriers are based in Houston and across Texas.
• Freight from Houston to Monterrey, Monterrey to Houston, Houston to Cuautitlán Izcalli and Cuautitlán Izcalli to Houston is posted mostly for dry van.
• Freight from Houston to Saltillo and to Puebla is posted mostly for dry van.
• Freight from Guadalajara and from San Luis Potosí to Houston is posted mostly for dry van.
• Freight from Houston to Laredo is posted mostly for dry van; a load that starts and ends in the U.S. goes only to U.S. carriers.

How the marketplace works

• A cross-border load is split into a Mexican leg, the crossing and a U.S. leg, and one carrier bids and can price each leg.
• Mexican carriers need an MX number and OP-1 for the U.S. interior.
• The broker chooses "Transfer by carrier" or "Pre-set transfer"; a bid can optionally state how the carrier will cross.

More questions

What equipment do Houston cross-border loads use?

Mostly dry van. Each Houston corridor to and from Mexico posts mainly for vans. Reefer, open deck and straight truck capacity exists across the network, so a Houston load needing one of those still goes out; list the trailer and its specs so the right carriers are notified.

Can a Mexican carrier deliver into Houston?

Yes, when it holds an MX number with OP-1 authority. Houston is outside the border commercial zones, so the marketplace shows a Houston load only to Mexican carriers with OP-1. U.S. carriers, including those that declare B1 drivers, bid on the same load.