Houston, TX to San Diego, CA freight

Lanes/

The Houston to San Diego corridor runs within the U.S.

Direction

U.S. domestic

Equipment on this lane

Dry van, reefer, and open-deck capacity

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/houston-tx-to-san-diego-ca.svg" alt="Houston, TX to San Diego, CA 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>3 days</b></div><div class="trmi">1468 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, Rosenberg, and Freeport) with the San Diego market (San Diego, Temecula, Chula Vista, Oceanside, El Cajon, and Poway), running within the U.S. Brokers post this corridor to the Cargado marketplace.

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 on the freight types pages.

Equipment on this corridor

Postings here run Dry van, reefer, and open-deck capacity. Browse equipment definitions in the glossary if a term is unfamiliar.

Where this lane picks up

Carriers on this lane pick up across the Houston area: Houston, Pasadena, Baytown, La Porte, Rosenberg, Freeport, Waller, and Katy. Nearby markets that feed it include Beaumont, College Station, Victoria, Austin, Waco, and Tyler.

Where this lane delivers

Carriers on this lane deliver across the San Diego area: San Diego, Temecula, Chula Vista, Oceanside, El Cajon, Poway, Vista, and Carlsbad. It also reaches nearby markets like Tijuana, Tecate, Ensenada, Palm Springs, and Long Beach.

Domestic U.S.

This is a domestic U.S. lane, with no border crossing. Carriers bid on it in the same marketplace they use for cross-border freight, so a truck repositioning after an international load can pick this up on the way.

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 San Diego, CA 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

San Diego, CA

San Diego is the U.S. side of the San Diego-Baja California border region. Trucks cross north from Tijuana through the Otay Mesa port of entry, which recorded 990,111 truck crossings from Mexico in 2025, and a second crossing, Otay Mesa East, is under construction. Otay Mesa also holds six Foreign-Trade Zone magnet sites.

Industries: Auto parts and medical supplies, industrial and logistics parks, marine cargo, air cargo

Customs: Otay Mesa port of entry, commercial facility. 990,111 truck crossings from Mexico in 2025 (operating). Source
Customs: Otay Mesa East port of entry, with a new four-lane toll road along SR 11; SANDAG and Caltrans broke ground in August 2022. New land port of entry for the San Diego-Baja California region (under construction). Source
Foreign-Trade Zone: San Diego Foreign-Trade Zone 153 magnet sites, all in Otay Mesa. Six magnet sites (operating). Source
Seaport: Port of San Diego marine cargo terminals, including high and heavy cargo. About 2.3 million metric tons in fiscal 2025 (operating). Source
Airport: San Diego International Airport freight. Freight volume down 8.0% in fiscal 2025 (operating). Source
Intermodal or rail yard: Short-line freight railroad from El Cajon to a connection with BNSF at San Diego (operating). Source
Customs: Otay Mesa Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility, a state truck inspection facility for commercial vehicles entering California from Mexico (operating). Source

Distribution: Foreign-Trade Zone magnet sites in Otay Mesa, a seaport, an airport and a short-line railroad.

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 San Diego?

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 Houston to San Diego corridor?

Postings here include dry van, reefer, and open-deck loads. If you need a type you do not see, post the load anyway. Carriers with matching equipment get notified automatically.

Is this a domestic lane or cross-border?

This is a domestic U.S. lane. Carriers bid on it alongside cross-border freight, often a truck repositioning after an international run.

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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