Elizabeth, NJ to Mexico City, CMX freight

The Elizabeth to Mexico City corridor runs southbound from the U.S. into Mexico and typically crosses at Laredo (World Trade Bridge).

Direction

Southbound (U.S. to Mexico)

Equipment on this lane

Dry van-led corridor

Carrier availability

Vetted carriers cover this corridor

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/elizabeth-nj-to-mexico-city-cmx.svg" alt="Elizabeth, NJ to Mexico City, CMX 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"><div class="trl"><div class="trlabel">U.S. leg</div><div class="trroute">Elizabeth, NJ <span class="arr">→</span> Laredo, TX</div></div><b>4 days</b></div><div class="trrow"><div class="trl"><div class="trlabel">Border crossing</div><div class="trroute">Laredo, TX <span class="arr">→</span> Nuevo Laredo, TAM</div></div><b>1–3 days</b></div><div class="trrow"><div class="trl"><div class="trlabel">Mexico leg</div><div class="trroute">Nuevo Laredo, TAM <span class="arr">→</span> Mexico City, CMX</div></div><b>2 days</b></div><div class="trrow tot"><span>Total transit</span><b>7–9 days</b></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">$5K–$6K</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 Elizabeth market (Linden, Newark, Edison, Elizabeth, Kearny, and Piscataway) with the Mexico City market (Mexico City, Tlalnepantla De Baz, Ciudad De México, Ecatepec De Morelos, Naucalpan De Juárez, and Tlalnepantla), running southbound from the U.S. Brokers post this corridor to the Cargado marketplace.

Recent carrier bids on this corridor typically land in the $5K–$6K range. Request a demo to see detailed, current rates for this lane.

What ships from Elizabeth

Freight out of the Elizabeth market leans toward consumer goods, food and beverage and plastics and packaging based on what brokers actually post there. You can read more on the freight types pages.

Equipment on this corridor

Dry van-led corridor. Browse equipment definitions in the glossary if a term is unfamiliar.

Where this lane picks up

Carriers on this lane pick up across the Elizabeth area: Linden, Newark, Edison, Elizabeth, Kearny, Piscataway, Monroe Township, and Jersey City. Nearby markets that feed it include New York, Sparta, Long Island, Allentown, Philadelphia, and Poughkeepsie.

Where this lane delivers

Carriers on this lane deliver across the Mexico City area: Mexico City, Tlalnepantla De Baz, Ciudad De México, Ecatepec De Morelos, Naucalpan De Juárez, Tlalnepantla, Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, and Tláhuac. It also reaches nearby markets like Cuautitlán Izcalli, Cuernavaca, Toluca, Pachuca, Puebla, and Santiago de Querétaro.

Border crossing

Most freight on this corridor crosses at Laredo (World Trade Bridge). Loads either run direct with a through-trailer or transload at the border, and the transfer step is priced into carrier bids. See transloading and the Laredo (World Trade Bridge) crossing page.

Brokers post corridors like this to Cargado's marketplace, where vetted Mexico and Canada carriers bid and every counterparty is vetted before the first load moves.

More lanes from these markets

Every lane guide for Mexico City is listed on its lane hub, by direction and destination country.

The markets on this lane

Origin market

Elizabeth, NJ

Elizabeth and Newark, New Jersey, are the container hub of the busiest port on the East Coast, with large marine terminals, on-dock rail, an airport cargo area and a large warehouse market. Containers move out by truck to nearby warehouses and by CSX and Norfolk Southern rail to the Midwest and Eastern Canada. Container terminal modernization and harbor deepening are planned, and a rebuilt truck entrance is scheduled for completion in 2028.

Industries: Container shipping, rail intermodal, vehicle imports and exports, air cargo and express parcels, warehousing and distribution

Seaport: Marine container terminals at Port Newark and Elizabeth, part of the Port of New York and New Jersey, the busiest port on the East Coast. 5,955,798 loaded TEUs port-wide in 2025 (operating). Source
Seaport: Modernization and expansion of container terminal operations and infrastructure across the port, and planned harbor deepening to 55 feet with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. More than $1.2 billion in private investment (planned). Source
Intermodal or rail yard: ExpressRail on-dock rail system, reaching the Midwest, New England and Eastern Canada (operating). Source
Seaport: Port Street Corridor northern entrance, a truck entrance rebuild; construction began November 2023; completion scheduled 2028. $220 million (under construction). Source
Airport: Newark Liberty International Airport cargo area. About 680,000 short tons of air cargo in 2025 (operating). Source
Foreign-trade zone: Foreign-Trade Zone No. 49, covering Port Newark, the Elizabeth marine terminal and the Port Jersey marine terminal. Source

Distribution: The Port Authority counts nearly one billion square feet of warehouse and distribution space within 50 miles of the port (2020).

Destination market

Mexico City, CMX

Mexico City's freight runs through two airports, a 54-hectare intermodal rail terminal and a 327-hectare wholesale food market. Its warehousing sits in industrial parks to the north in the State of Mexico. Freight reaches the US border by highway and by intermodal rail.

Industries: Wholesale food distribution, air cargo, logistics and e-commerce warehousing, rail intermodal, light manufacturing

Airport: Mexico City International Airport (AICM). 252,558 metric tons of cargo in 2025 (operating). Source
Airport: Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA). 406,193 metric tons of cargo in 2025, down 9.2% from 2024 (operating). Source
Intermodal or rail yard: Intermodal rail terminal serving Mexico City, with automated OCR gates and AI-assisted rail car sorting. 54 hectares, more than 500,000 TEU a year (operating). Source
Wholesale food market: Central de Abasto, described as the largest wholesale distribution market in the world. 327 hectares, more than 30,000 metric tons a day (operating). Source
Industrial park: State of México map of 228 industrial developments, including parks in Tepotzotlán, Huehuetoca, Cuautitlán, Cuautitlán Izcalli, Tecámac and Tultepec north of Mexico City. 228 industrial developments statewide (operating). Source
Distribution cluster: Distribution centers in the Valle de México metropolitan region, as reported by the State of México economy ministry. 360 distribution centers (operating as of August 2025). Source

Distribution: Warehousing in the industrial parks north of the city in the State of Mexico, and bonded air-cargo warehouses at both airports.

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 Elizabeth to Mexico City?

On Cargado, brokers post the corridor and vetted carriers bid on it. Every carrier is verified before it can bid, which replaces cold-calling unknown carriers.

What equipment is available on the Elizabeth to Mexico City corridor?

Postings here are mostly dry van. If you need a type you do not see, post the load anyway. Carriers with matching equipment get notified automatically.

Does freight on this corridor transload at the border or run direct?

Both happen. Most freight crosses at Laredo (World Trade Bridge), where carriers either transfer the trailer to a cross-border drayage carrier or run direct with a through-trailer. The bid reflects the carrier's setup.

Moving freight on this lane?

Post it to 2,400+ vetted Mexico and Canada carriers, or check market rates built from real carrier bids before you quote.

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