New Orleans, LA freight lanes
New Orleans is a Mississippi River port city on I-10, moving containers, coffee, steel, chemicals and seafood between the river, the Gulf and the highway. Read how the Laredo handoff works on New Orleans freight, and use the neighboring hubs for lane guides. Cargado is a marketplace where brokers post Mexico and Canada truck freight and vetted carriers bid on it.
Laredo
I-10
0
Dry van
What moves through the New Orleans market
New Orleans moves freight between ships, barges and trucks. Port NOLA handles containers, steel, coffee and other breakbulk on the Mississippi River, and the river corridor upstream is lined with refineries and chemical plants, so drums, totes, resins and packaged chemicals ship by truck. Seafood and food processors need reefer, and distribution centers serve Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. For Mexico, I-10 runs west through Houston and San Antonio to I-35 and Laredo; for Canada, I-55 and I-59 run north toward the Midwest and the Northeast.
What ships from the New Orleans area
Plants, mills, packing houses and distribution centers within about 100 miles of New Orleans are among the area's main freight sources. The commodities below are ranked by employment in public business-establishment data, and each is tied to a named facility, cluster or growing region.
- Chemicals and plastics. Shell's Norco complex and Dow's St. Charles Operations in Hahnville make olefins, plastics and glycol ethers upriver from the city.
- Coffee. J.M. Smucker roasts Folgers and Cafe Bustelo coffee at its New Orleans facilities.
- Sugar. Domino Sugar refines cane sugar at its Chalmette refinery in Arabi.
- Steel and metals. Port NOLA's breakbulk terminals handle steel, nonferrous metals, rubber and forest products that leave by truck and barge.
On the road, dry van carries coffee and sugar; tanker carries chemicals and plastics; flatbed or open deck carries steel and metals. Post the commodity, weight and trailer type with each load so carriers can price it.
Where New Orleans lanes are covered
No lane guide is listed on the New Orleans hub yet, so this page covers the market and points to the hubs next to it. The Laredo, San Antonio and McAllen hubs list lane guides for neighboring corridors. If you move freight into or out of New Orleans, post it on Cargado with the real pickup and delivery, the equipment and the leg you need covered, and vetted carriers that run the corridor bid on it. For a Mexico move, include the crossing and the handoff plan; for a Canada move, the customs broker and the release arrangement.
Covering New Orleans freight: what a broker needs to know
Post the leg you are buying, with its real endpoints
For a full move into or out of Mexico, post the Mexican origin or destination so carriers see the whole shipment. For a separately booked U.S. leg, post the actual pickup yard and the receiving facility, and describe the connected shipment, its customs status and any handoff. Compare bids that cover the same scope of work.
The border handoff
For freight connected with Mexico, use the lane guide's named crossing as the starting point and confirm it with the carrier and customs broker. If carriers change at the border, identify the yards, the transfer provider and whether the cargo stays in its trailer or is transloaded at a dock. Confirm the operating authority of the carrier on each leg, and check what each bid includes: the transfer, any transload, trailer use and detention.
Port pickups and hazardous materials
For a container or breakbulk pickup, put the terminal, the release and any appointment on the posting, and confirm chassis and free time. Chemical loads need the hazmat class and placards stated, and the carrier needs the endorsements and insurance to haul them.
Related lane hubs
Neighboring lane hubs with their own directories: Laredo, TX, San Antonio, TX and McAllen, TX.
For the border step, the Laredo World Trade Bridge crossing guide covers the main gateway for Mexico freight.
Every lane guide on Cargado is listed on the lanes index.
Common questions about New Orleans freight
Which border crossing does New Orleans freight use for Mexico?
Most truck freight between New Orleans and central or northern Mexico crosses at Laredo, where the World Trade Bridge is the commercial default. Confirm the crossing, the yards and any transfer with the carrier and the customs broker before you book.
Do I need a Mexican carrier for a New Orleans to Mexico move?
Only for the Mexico leg, which needs a carrier with Mexican operating authority. Confirm authority for every carrier's portion of the shipment, agree on the crossing and any transfer or transload, and state the leg you need covered when you post on Cargado.
How do I find carriers for a New Orleans lane on Cargado?
Post the pickup and delivery, the date, the equipment and the leg you need covered. Vetted carriers that run the corridor bid, and you compare what each bid covers before you book. Where a corridor has enough bid history, Cargado Market Rates gives you a reference built from carrier bids before you quote.
What equipment runs New Orleans corridors?
Dry van leads, carrying port, consumer and packaged chemical freight. Reefer carries seafood and food, and open deck carries steel and project cargo. Post the trailer type with the weight, dimensions and loading requirements so carriers can price the load.
What freight ships out of New Orleans?
Facilities within about 100 miles of New Orleans mainly ship chemicals and plastics, coffee, sugar and steel and metals. On the road, dry van carries coffee and sugar; tanker carries chemicals and plastics; flatbed or open deck carries steel and metals.
Moving freight through this market?
Post it to 2,350+ vetted Mexico and Canada carriers, or check market rates built from real carrier bids before you quote.