Origin market
Industries:
Distribution:
Cotulla, TX to Houston, TX freight
The Cotulla to Houston corridor runs within the U.S., feeding the border gateway. On Cargado, multiple carriers bid here in the past year.
Direction
U.S. border feeder
Equipment on this lane
Dry van-led, with reefer demand
Carrier availability
Multiple carriers bid here in the past year
Marketplace activity
Posted by brokers on the Cargado marketplace
<div class="lane-viz"><div class="lane-viz-mapwrap"><img class="lane-viz-map" src="https://cargado-lane-maps.pages.dev/cotulla-tx-to-houston-tx.svg" alt="Cotulla, TX to Houston, TX freight route map on Cargado" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="620"></div><div class="lane-viz-panel"><div class="lane-viz-title">Transit time</div><div class="tr"><div class="trrow tot"><span>Transit</span><b>1 day</b></div><div class="trmi">279 mi driving</div></div><div class="lane-viz-title">Typical market range</div><div class="lane-rate-band" style="font-size:1.75rem;font-weight:700;color:#16295c;margin:.15rem 0 .6rem">$1K–$2K</div><a class="lane-cta" href="https://cargado.com/brokers/get-a-demo">Request a demo for detailed rates </a><div class="lane-viz-fine">Estimated drive time by road, split at the border. Border dwell varies with documentation and crossing.</div></div></div>
This corridor connects the Cotulla market (Laredo, Eagle Pass, Eidson Road, El Cenizo) with the Houston market (Houston, Pasadena, Baytown, La Porte, Freeport, Rosenberg), running within the U.S., feeding the border gateway. Over the past 12 months brokers posted this corridor to the Cargado marketplace. Multiple carriers bid here in the past year.
Recent carrier bids on this corridor typically land in the $1K–$2K range. Request a demo to see detailed, current rates for this lane.
What ships from Cotulla
Freight out of the Cotulla market leans toward food and beverage, automotive parts and consumer goods based on what brokers actually post there. You can read more about moving these goods on the freight types pages.
Equipment on this corridor
Dry van-led, with reefer demand. Browse equipment definitions in the glossary if a term is unfamiliar.
Feeding the border
This U.S. leg connects inland freight with the border gateway at Eagle Pass. Loads typically stage or transload there before crossing into Mexico, or distribute onward after clearing customs northbound. See the border crossings directory for how the gateway operates.
This corridor is one of many corridors with real bid history on Cargado, the marketplace connecting hundreds of brokers with verified Mexico and Canada carriers.
The markets on this lane
Destination market
Houston, TX
Houston is the Gulf Coast's main gateway for containers, refined fuels, petrochemicals, steel and project cargo. The Houston Ship Channel is the nation's largest port by waterborne tonnage, and Port Houston's two container terminals handled a record 4.3 million TEUs in 2025. Freight moves on to Texas and the U.S. interior by Union Pacific, BNSF and CPKC rail and by truck, and toward Mexico on US 59 to Laredo.
Industries: Refined fuels, petrochemicals and plastics, containerized imports and exports, steel and project cargo, warehousing and distribution
- Seaport: Two public container terminals on the Houston Ship Channel (Barbours Cut and Bayport), including a Bayport berth completed in late 2025. 4.3 million TEUs in 2025, a record (operating). Source
- Seaport: Multi-purpose terminals for breakbulk, steel, grain and heavy-lift project cargo. Described by the port as the area's largest breakbulk, steel and project cargo complex in North America (operating). Source
- Intermodal or rail yard: Union Pacific Settegast intermodal terminal. Container and trailer lifts, open 24 hours (operating). Source
- Free-trade zone: Foreign-Trade Zone 84, managed by Port Houston, serving Harris, Waller and Wharton counties. 1,708.58 acres activated; 40 active sites (operating). Source
- Airport: George Bush Intercontinental Airport cargo centers. Two cargo centers on 120 acres; more than 564,000 metric tons of air cargo handled by Houston Airports in 2025 (operating). Source
- Plant: Oil refining and chemical production in the Houston region. Oil and refined petroleum products are the region's dominant export, followed by organic chemicals. Source
Distribution: Foreign-trade-zone sites in Harris, Waller and Wharton counties, and intermodal lifts at the Union Pacific Settegast terminal.
Market profiles describe industries and facility types from public government, industry, port, railroad and industrial-park sources. They name no shippers, manufacturers, retailers or logistics companies.
Common questions about this lane
How do I find carriers for Cotulla to Houston?
On Cargado, brokers post the corridor and vetted carriers bid on it. Multiple carriers bid here in the past year. Every carrier is verified before it can bid, which replaces cold-calling unknown carriers.
What equipment is available on the Cotulla to Houston corridor?
Postings here lean dry van-led, with reefer demand. If you need a type you do not see, post the load anyway. Carriers with matching equipment get notified automatically.
Why is a U.S. lane on a Mexico freight marketplace?
Because it feeds the border. Cross-border programs need the inland leg to and from the gateway, and brokers post those legs alongside the international move so one carrier network covers the whole program.
Moving freight on this lane?
Post it to 2,350+ vetted Mexico and Canada carriers, or check market rates built from real carrier bids before you quote.