San Antonio, TX freight lanes
San Antonio is the first big market north of Laredo on I-35, a Toyota plant town and the staging point for Texas freight headed into Mexico. Pick a lane in the directory to open its guide, and read how the Laredo handoff and Canada customs work on San Antonio freight. Cargado is a marketplace where brokers post Mexico and Canada truck freight and vetted carriers bid on it.
Laredo
$3.6 billion
7
Dry van
Corridors out of San Antonio
Southbound into Mexico
To Canada
Corridors into San Antonio
Northbound from Mexico
From the U.S.
From Canada
What moves through the San Antonio market
San Antonio builds trucks and stages freight between Laredo and the rest of the U.S. Toyota is investing $3.6 billion to expand its San Antonio plant, adding 2.5 million square feet and 2,000 jobs to build the Tacoma alongside the Tundra and Sequoia by 2030 (Automotive Logistics, July 2026), and its supplier park ships parts in both directions on I-35. The city's warehouses stage southbound consumer goods, food and components for Mexico and receive northbound automotive parts, appliances and machinery that cleared at Laredo. I-10 and I-37 connect San Antonio to Houston, the Gulf and the Southeast, and I-35 runs north to Austin, Dallas and the Midwest.
What ships from the San Antonio area
Plants, mills, packing houses and distribution centers within about 100 miles of San Antonio 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.
- Finished vehicles. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas assembles Tundra pickups and Sequoia SUVs in south San Antonio.
- Auto parts. Toyota's on-site suppliers make parts for the San Antonio plant and ship to other assembly lines.
- Packaged food. H-E-B makes snacks and bakery goods at its San Antonio plants.
- Beer. Spoetzl Brewery brews Shiner beer in Shiner, east of the city.
- Cement. Cemex's Balcones plant in New Braunfels makes cement for Texas construction.
On the road, dry van carries auto parts, packaged food and beer; car haulers carry finished vehicles; hopper and bulk trailers carry cement. Post the commodity, weight and trailer type with each load so carriers can price it.
The corridor groups San Antonio anchors
This hub carries seven guides. Mexico guides run San Antonio to Monterrey and Torreón to San Antonio; each lane guide names its crossing, and you confirm it with the carrier. U.S. guides run into San Antonio from Laredo and McAllen, lanes that may connect with a Mexico shipment or may be domestic. Canada guides run San Antonio to Winnipeg and into San Antonio from Calgary and Toronto. For each lane, confirm whether you need the U.S. leg only, the move into Mexico, or the customs handoff with Canada, and post the pickup and delivery for the leg you are buying.
Covering San Antonio 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.
Customs is the handoff on a Canada lane
The carrier files an ACI eManifest northbound or an ACE eManifest southbound before arrival, and the importer or its customs broker arranges release, with a PARS or PAPS reference when one is used. Provide the invoice information the importing country requires and any USMCA certification of origin needed to claim preferential treatment, and put the broker and release arrangement on the posting. Cross-border authority does not by itself allow domestic hauling in the other country, so confirm operating authority, driver eligibility and cabotage restrictions before adding a domestic leg.
Common questions about San Antonio freight
Is a Laredo to San Antonio lane a border move?
Laredo to San Antonio is a U.S. lane that may connect with a Mexico shipment. Confirm where the cargo starts or ends, its customs status and whether your booking includes a border transfer. If you need the full move, post the Mexican origin or destination; if you need only this leg, post the actual Laredo yard and the San Antonio facility and describe the connected shipment.
What does San Antonio to Winnipeg freight need?
A carrier with Canadian operating authority, an ACI eManifest filed before arrival, and release arrangements with the importer or its customs broker, including the PARS reference when one is used. Provide the invoice information Canadian entry requires and any USMCA certification of origin needed to claim preferential treatment. Check cabotage eligibility before adding a domestic Canadian leg.
How do I find carriers for a San Antonio 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 San Antonio corridors?
Dry van leads, carrying automotive parts, consumer goods and food. Open deck carries machinery and building materials, and reefer carries produce and beverages. Post the trailer type with the weight, dimensions and loading requirements so carriers can price the load.
What freight ships out of San Antonio?
Facilities within about 100 miles of San Antonio mainly ship finished vehicles, auto parts, packaged food, beer and cement. On the road, dry van carries auto parts, packaged food and beer; car haulers carry finished vehicles; hopper and bulk trailers carry cement.
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.