Elizabeth, NJ to Tijuana, Baja California freight

Lanes/

The Elizabeth to Tijuana corridor runs southbound from the U.S. into Mexico and typically crosses at Otay Mesa.

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-tijuana-bcn.svg" alt="Elizabeth, NJ to Tijuana, BCN 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> Otay Mesa, CA</div></div><b>5 days</b></div><div class="trrow"><div class="trl"><div class="trlabel">Border crossing</div><div class="trroute">Otay Mesa, CA <span class="arr">→</span> Tijuana, BCN</div></div><b>1–3 days</b></div><div class="trrow"><div class="trl"><div class="trlabel">Mexico leg</div><div class="trroute">Tijuana, BCN <span class="arr">→</span> Tijuana, BCN</div></div><b>1 day</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, Kearny, Elizabeth, Edison) with the Tijuana market (Tijuana, Rosarito, Playas De Rosarito, La Joya, Baja Malibú), running southbound from the U.S. Over the past 12 months brokers posted this corridor to the Cargado marketplace regularly.

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 about moving these goods on the freight types pages.

Equipment on this corridor

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

Border crossing

Most freight on this corridor crosses at Otay Mesa. 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 Otay Mesa crossing page.

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

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

Tijuana, BCN

Tijuana is a major export-manufacturing city across from San Diego, making electronics, medical devices, aerospace parts and auto parts. Finished goods cross into the U.S. by truck at Otay Mesa, the third-busiest U.S. truck port with Mexico by value in 2025, with a short-line railroad and the Port of Ensenada as secondary links. A second commercial crossing, Otay Mesa East, is under construction.

Industries: Electronics, medical devices, aerospace, auto parts, IMMEX export assembly

Border crossing: Otay Mesa commercial port of entry, California. $58.6 billion of 2025 truck freight, 9.1% of U.S.-Mexico truck value. Source
New border crossing: Otay Mesa East land port of entry, with a new four-lane toll road along SR 11; groundbreaking in August 2022 (under construction). Source
Short-line railroad: Tijuana interchange station holding up to 68 cars, a transfer station at García and an international crossing between Tijuana and San Ysidro. Source
Seaport: Ensenada national port system (ASIPONA Ensenada), Baja California, with container cargo. 363,429 TEUs, January to October 2025 (operating). Source
Manufacturing plants: Baja California electronics, aerospace, medical device and auto-component plants, including circuit boards and display assemblies. Electronics cluster of over 200 companies; 128 certified aerospace companies with $3.8 billion in exports in 2024. Source
Industrial parks: Parque Industrial Pacifico, with direct highway access to the Otay Mesa port of entry, and Natura Industrial Park. Pacifico 1,200 acres and 90+ tenants; Natura 444+ acres and 24 industrial warehouses (operating). Source

Distribution: Industrial warehouses in Tijuana's industrial parks, including 24 warehouses at the Natura Industrial Park.

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 Tijuana?

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 Tijuana corridor?

Postings here lean dry van-led corridor. 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 Otay Mesa, 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 2,350+ vetted Mexico and Canada carriers, or check market rates built from real carrier bids before you quote.

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