Lanes/
Irapuato, Guanajuato to San Diego, CA freight

Irapuato, Guanajuato to San Diego, CA freight

The Irapuato to San Diego corridor runs northbound from Mexico into the U.S. and typically crosses at Laredo (World Trade Bridge).

Direction

Northbound (Mexico to U.S.)

Equipment on this lane

Dry van-led, with open deck demand

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/irapuato-gua-to-san-diego-ca.svg" alt="Irapuato, GUA 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"><div class="trl"><div class="trlabel">Mexico leg</div><div class="trroute">Irapuato, GUA <span class="arr">&#8594;</span> Nuevo Laredo, TAM</div></div><b>1 day</b></div><div class="trrow"><div class="trl"><div class="trlabel">Border crossing</div><div class="trroute">Nuevo Laredo, TAM <span class="arr">&#8594;</span> Laredo, TX</div></div><b>1–3 days</b></div><div class="trrow"><div class="trl"><div class="trlabel">U.S. leg</div><div class="trroute">Laredo, TX <span class="arr">&#8594;</span> San Diego, CA</div></div><b>3 days</b></div><div class="trrow tot"><span>Total transit</span><b>5&#8211;7 days</b></div></div><a class="lane-cta" href="https://cargado.com/brokers/get-a-demo">Get a Rate <span class="arw">&#8594;</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 Irapuato market (Irapuato, Silao, Celaya, Guanajuato, Apaseo El Grande, Salamanca) with the San Diego market (San Diego, Temecula, Chula Vista, Carlsbad, Vista), running northbound from Mexico into the U.S. Over the past 12 months brokers posted this corridor to the Cargado marketplace.

What ships from Irapuato

Freight out of the Irapuato market leans toward automotive parts, food and beverage and pharma and veterinary products 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 demand. Browse equipment definitions in the glossary if a term is unfamiliar.

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.

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

Origin market

Irapuato, GUA

Irapuato sits in the Bajío auto corridor, where Guanajuato built about 22% of Mexico's light vehicles in 2025. The state's plants make pickups, SUVs and compact cars that ship mostly to the United States, and the corridor also produces auto parts and packaged food. Freight leaves by highway MEX-45 and by Ferromex rail from the Puerto Interior dry port in Silao.

Industries: Vehicle assembly, auto parts, food processing, dry port and logistics services, export manufacturing

  • Industrial park: Industrial and logistics complex with industrial parks, customs and an intermodal terminal. 1,506 hectares, 140 companies, more than 40,000 direct jobs (operating). Source
  • Customs office: Interior customs office inside the dry port, Panamericana highway km 160. Import and export clearance inland (operating). Source
  • Intermodal or rail yard: Ferromex container terminal at the dry port, with non-stop service to Chicago (operating). Source
  • Vehicle assembly plants: Four light-vehicle assembly plants in Guanajuato making pickups, SUVs, compacts and electrified models. 877,463 vehicles built in 2025, 22.1% of national output; plants averaged 80.2% of installed capacity (operating). Source
  • Industrial park: Guanajuato's industrial park network, including parks in Irapuato. 48 parks in 17 municipalities, 7,173 hectares of industrial land, 3,650 hectares available (operating). Source
  • Intermodal or rail yard: Inland rail terminal in Celaya, a development hub declared by the national government in July 2025, to be served by CPKC and Ferromex. 52 hectares (planned). Source

Distribution: A rail container terminal and customs office at the dry port, and a planned inland rail terminal in Celaya.

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 Irapuato 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 Irapuato to San Diego corridor?

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