Houston, TX to McAllen, TX freight

The Houston to McAllen 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 open deck and straight truck 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/houston-tx-to-mcallen-tx.svg" alt="Houston, TX to McAllen, 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">348 mi driving</div></div><a class="lane-cta" href="https://cargado.com/brokers/get-a-demo">Get a Rate <span class="arw">→</span></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 Houston market (Houston, Pasadena, Baytown, La Porte, Freeport, Rosenberg) with the McAllen market (Brownsville, Mcallen, Pharr, Hidalgo, Mission), 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.

What ships from Houston

Freight out of the Houston market leans toward plastics and packaging, chemicals and additives and fresh produce 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 open deck and straight truck 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 McAllen. 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.

Cargado's marketplace brings verified carriers to corridors like this one, with carrier vetting handled before bidding and banded rate context available in the product.

More lanes from these markets

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

The markets on this lane

Origin 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.

Destination market

McAllen, TX

McAllen and Pharr are the Rio Grande Valley's cross-border freight gateway, built around the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, which the bridge operator calls the number one border crossing in the U.S. for produce. Its top imports include fresh fruit, insulated wire and cable, and TVs and computer monitors. In 2026 the bridge doubled its capacity with a second structure that adds four lanes.

Industries: Fresh produce, electronics and electrical equipment, auto parts, southbound fuels and petroleum gases, pork

Customs bridge: Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, with a second structure. Adds four lanes, a 100% increase in bridge capacity (opened 2026). Source
Customs bridge: Anzalduas International Bridge, which opened in 2009 and has allowed only empty southbound cargo, with new commercial inspection stations being added for northbound cargo. Six new commercial inspection lanes (under construction as of May 2026). Source
Industrial park: Capote International Park next to the Pharr bridge. More than 1.1 million sq ft of buildings, primarily distribution centers (operating). Source
Cold storage: Cold storage units at the Pharr port of entry to keep produce fresh for distributors on both sides of the border (operating). Source
Foreign-trade zone: McAllen Foreign Trade Zone #12 with warehouse, third-party logistics and rail-side service. Source
Airport: McAllen International Airport air cargo building at 2201 Uvalde Avenue. Source
Seaport: Port of Brownsville, with Foreign Trade Zone No. 62 and rail service. Source

Distribution: Produce cold storage at the Pharr port of entry, bridge-adjacent distribution parks, and a foreign-trade-zone operator offering third-party logistics and rail-side cross-docking.

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 Houston to McAllen?

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 Houston to McAllen corridor?

Postings here are mostly dry van, with some open-deck and straight truck. 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.

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